The behavior of a horizontal turbulent round jet in a linearly density-stra
tified fluid is studied and compared to the unstratified case using digital
particle-tracking velocimetry (DPTV). Close to the nozzle, the stratified
jet grows axi symmetrically at the same rate as an unstratified jet. At a c
ritical distance downstream, the vertical growth is suppressed, while the l
ateral spreading increases. The self-similar nature of unstratified round j
ets is not preserved in the stratified case. The velocity field and turbule
nt stresses are affected by the stratification closer to the jet nozzle tha
n is expected from the flow visualization observations. In particular, the
vertical normal stress and shear stress are significantly reduced compared
to the unstratified case.