Vertical transport of particles, drops, and microorganisms in density stratified fluids

The vertical motion of particles, drops and organisms through density stratified fluids is ubiquitously found in oceans and lakes. Settling dynamics of marine snow particles, rising motion of drops during oil spills, formation of phytoplankton blooms, and diel vertical migration of organisms are just a few of these examples. Transport properties in these examples are modified when the density of ambient fluid varies over depth due to variation of salinity or temperature. Density stratification directly affects particle settling/rising rates, which impacts particle distribution in natural fluid environments. In this work, we discuss the vertical transport of rigid particles, deformable drops, and swimming organisms in density stratified fluids.