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Published on: January 9, 2017
FATE (Fish Aquarium with a Turbulent Environment): A Turbulence-Control Facility for Quantifying Fish-Flow
1Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N. Charles Street, 21218 MD, USA.
Integrative and Comparative Biology
|June 23, 2026
Summary
This study introduces a novel facility to investigate how turbulence affects fish locomotion and behavior by decoupling turbulence from water flow. This allows for controlled experiments on fish-turbulence interactions and coping strategies.
Area of Science:
- Fluid dynamics
- Fish biology
- Bioengineering
Background:
- Turbulence effects on fish locomotion and behavior are poorly understood.
- Existing facilities struggle to isolate turbulence effects from mean flow.
- Hypotheses link fish-turbulence interactions to relative scales of turbulence and fish.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present a novel experimental facility for studying fish-turbulence interactions.
- To decouple turbulence from mean flow and control turbulence scales.
- To investigate fish locomotion, behavior, and coping strategies in controlled turbulent environments.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a jet array to decouple turbulence from mean flow.
- Systematically controlled turbulence scales.
- Varied the ratio of turbulent to fish inertial scales over an order of magnitude.
Main Results:
- Established a controlled framework for quantifying fish-turbulence interactions.
- Enabled systematic variation of turbulent to fish inertial scale ratios.
- Facilitated experiments on fish coping strategies, including collective behaviors.
Conclusions:
- The novel facility allows for unprecedented control over fish-turbulence interaction parameters.
- Provides a foundation for understanding fish behavior in turbulent flows.
- Offers insights for ecological studies, fishway design, and bio-inspired vehicle development.
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