A regularization by stratification of the Stokes flow divergences by translating spheres*

Stokes flow solutions of fluid motions in the presence of a moving sphere notoriously suffer unphysical divergences in quantities such as the dragged volume of fluid which have been traditionally regularized by far-field Oseen inertial corrections. This talk will consider an alternative regularization mechanism related to the presence of stable stratification under gravity in the fluid. A first principle theory will be outlined and results with falling spheres in sharp stratifications will illustrate the mechanism.