  For the complex Ginzburg-Landau equation on a large periodic interval, we
show that the transition from defect- to phase-turbulence is more accurately
described as a smooth crossover rather than as a sharp continuous transition.
We obtain this conclusion by using a powerful parallel computer to calculate
various order parameters, especially the density of space-time defects, the
Lyapunov dimension density, and the correlation lengths of the field phase and
amplitude. Remarkably, the correlation length of the field amplitude is, within
a constant factor, equal to the length scale defined by the dimension density.
This suggests that a correlation measurement may suffice to estimate the
fractal dimension of some large homogeneous chaotic systems.
