Das Projekt "Vortexdynamik und Horizontaltransport von Waerme und Masse als Folge von Tiefenkonvektion" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Stiftung Alfred-Wegener-Institut für Polar- und Meeresforschung e.V. (AWI) durchgeführt. The project was dedicated to a thorough theoretical and numerical investigation of the generation and dynamics of localized vortices and the resulting lateral vortex heat/mass transport in rotating slantwise convection processes. These processes occur in fluids with both vertical and horizontal density (temperature) gradients and dominate the lateral vortex heat/mass transport in the ocean. By joint efforts, scientists from Germany and Russia with background in atmospheric and ocean sciences have worked on the modelling and parameterization of horizontal heat/mass transport due to deep convection events in the ocean. The following main results were obtained during the two-year period of research: - we have clarified the structure of turbulent and mean fields in convective region by a systematic high resolution numerical study of the coherent vortex structures generated by convection with rotation, using a LES (Large Eddy Simulation) model, - we have developed an analytical theory for the lateral heat/mass transport dominated by localized baroclinic vortices, based on 3D-heton and multi-layer-heton models, and implemented it in numerical models; - we have found out the specific phenomenon of mixing-depth-dependent spreading and a linear power law for the spreading of the mean radius of heton populations, which form a basis for physically justified parameterizations for lateral eddy heat/mass transport dominated by localized baroclinic vortices.