Geostrophic adjustment with gyroscopic waves: stably neutrally stratified fluid without the traditional approximation

2014 ◽  
Vol 747 ◽  
pp. 605-634 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. M. Reznik
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Internal Waves ◽  
Lower Layer ◽  
Wave Spectrum ◽  
Stratified Fluid ◽  
Homogeneous Layer ◽  
Buoyancy Frequency ◽  
Geostrophic Adjustment ◽  
Inertial Oscillations ◽  
Neutrally Stratified

AbstractWe examine nonlinear geostrophic adjustment in a rapidly rotating (small Rossby number Ro) stably neutrally stratified (SNS) fluid consisting of a stratified upper layer with $N>f$ ($N$ is the buoyancy frequency, $f$ the Coriolis parameter) and a homogeneous lower layer, the density and other fields being continuous at the interface between the layers. The angular speed of rotation is non-parallel to gravity; the traditional and hydrostatic approximations are not used. The wave spectrum in the model consists of internal and gyroscopic waves. During the adjustment an arbitrary long-wave perturbation is split in a unique way into slow quasi-geostrophic (QG) and fast ageostrophic components with typical time scales $(Ro\, f)^{-1}$ and $f^{-1}$, respectively. The QG flow is governed by two coupled nonlinear equations of conservation of QG potential vorticity (PV) in the layers. The fast component is a sum of internal waves and inertial oscillations (long gyroscopic waves) confined to the homogeneous layer and modulated by an amplitude depending on coordinates and slow time. On times $t\sim (\, f\, Ro)^{-1}$ the slow component is not influenced by the fast one but the inertial oscillations amplitude is coupled to the QG flow and obeys an equation practically coinciding with that in the barotropic case (Reznik, J. Fluid Mech., vol. 743, 2014, pp. 585–605). A non-stationary boundary layer with large vertical gradients of horizontal velocity develops in the stratified layer near the interface to prevent penetration of the inertial oscillations into the stratified fluid; an analogous weaker boundary layer arises near the upper rigid lid. At large times the internal waves gradually decay because of dispersion and the resulting motion consists of the slow QG component and inertial oscillations confined to the barotropic lower layer.

Entrainment and mixing in stratified shear flows

2001 ◽  
Vol 428 ◽  
pp. 349-386 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. J. STRANG ◽  
H. J. S. FERNANDO
Keyword(s):  
Internal Waves ◽  
Richardson Number ◽  
Transition Period ◽  
Lower Layer ◽  
Buoyancy Flux ◽  
Shear Instability ◽  
Mixing Efficiency ◽  
Buoyancy Frequency ◽  
Entrainment Rate ◽  
Turbulent Eddies

The results of a laboratory experiment designed to study turbulent entrainment at sheared density interfaces are described. A stratified shear layer, across which a velocity difference ΔU and buoyancy difference Δb is imposed, separates a lighter upper turbulent layer of depth D from a quiescent, deep lower layer which is either homogeneous (two-layer case) or linearly stratified with a buoyancy frequency N (linearly stratified case). In the parameter ranges investigated the flow is mainly determined by two parameters: the bulk Richardson number RiB = ΔbD/ΔU2 and the frequency ratio fN = ND=ΔU.When RiB > 1.5, there is a growing significance of buoyancy effects upon the entrainment process; it is observed that interfacial instabilities locally mix heavy and light fluid layers, and thus facilitate the less energetic mixed-layer turbulent eddies in scouring the interface and lifting partially mixed fluid. The nature of the instability is dependent on RiB, or a related parameter, the local gradient Richardson number Rig = N2L/ (∂u/∂z)2, where NL is the local buoyancy frequency, u is the local streamwise velocity and z is the vertical coordinate. The transition from the Kelvin–Helmholtz (K-H) instability dominated regime to a second shear instability, namely growing Hölmböe waves, occurs through a transitional regime 3.2 < RiB < 5.8. The K-H activity completely subsided beyond RiB ∼ 5 or Rig ∼ 1. The transition period 3.2 < RiB < 5 was characterized by the presence of both K-H billows and wave-like features, interacting with each other while breaking and causing intense mixing. The flux Richardson number Rif or the mixing efficiency peaked during this transition period, with a maximum of Rif ∼ 0.4 at RiB ∼ 5 or Rig ∼ 1. The interface at 5 < RiB < 5.8 was dominated by ‘asymmetric’ interfacial waves, which gradually transitioned to (symmetric) Hölmböe waves at RiB > 5:8.Laser-induced fluorescence measurements of both the interfacial buoyancy flux and the entrainment rate showed a large disparity (as large as 50%) between the two-layer and the linearly stratified cases in the range 1.5 < RiB < 5. In particular, the buoyancy flux (and the entrainment rate) was higher when internal waves were not permitted to propagate into the deep layer, in which case more energy was available for interfacial mixing. When the lower layer was linearly stratified, the internal waves appeared to be excited by an ‘interfacial swelling’ phenomenon, characterized by the recurrence of groups or packets of K-H billows, their degeneration into turbulence and subsequent mixing, interfacial thickening and scouring of the thickened interface by turbulent eddies.Estimation of the turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) budget in the interfacial zone for the two-layer case based on the parameter α, where α = (−B + ε)/P, indicated an approximate balance (α ∼ 1) between the shear production P, buoyancy flux B and the dissipation rate ε, except in the range RiB < 5 where K-H driven mixing was active.

Turbulent mixing in a sloping benthic boundary layer energized by internal waves

2000 ◽  
Vol 418 ◽  
pp. 59-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. N. IVEY ◽  
K. B. WINTERS ◽  
I. P. D. DE SILVA
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Internal Waves ◽  
Buoyancy Frequency ◽  
Benthic Boundary Layer ◽  
Incoming Wave ◽  
Velocity Fluctuations ◽  
Reflected Waves ◽  
Wave Forcing ◽  
Orthogonal Components ◽  
Vertical Density

A laboratory study was carried out to directly measure the turbulence properties in a benthic boundary layer (BBL) above a uniformly sloping bottom where the BBL is energized by internal waves. The ambient fluid was continuously stratified and the steadily forced incoming wave field consisted of a confined beam, restricting the turbulent activity to a finite region along the bottom slope. Measurements of dissipation showed some variation over the wave phase, but cycle-averaged values indicated that the dissipation was nearly constant with height within the BBL. Dissipation levels were up to three orders of magnitude larger than background laminar values and the thickness of the BBL could be defined in terms of the observed dissipation variation with height. Assuming that most of the incoming wave energy was dissipated within the BBL, predicted levels of dissipation were in good agreement with the observations.Measurements were also made of density and two orthogonal components of the velocity fluctuations at discrete heights above the bottom. Cospectral estimates of density and velocity fluctuations showed that the major contributions to both the vertical density flux and the momentum flux resulted from frequencies near the wave forcing frequency, rather than super-buoyancy frequencies, suggesting a strong nonlinear interaction between the incident and reflected waves close to the bottom. Within the turbulent BBL, time-averaged density fluxes were significant and negative near the wave frequencies but negligible at frequencies greater than the buoyancy frequency N. While dissipation rates were high compared to background laminar values, they were low compared to the value of εtr ≈ 15vN2, the transition value often used to assess the capacity of a stratified flow to produce mixing. Existing models relating mixing to dissipation rate rely on the existence of a positive-definite density flux at frequencies greater than N as a signature of fluid mixing and therefore cannot apply to these experiments. We therefore introduce a simple model, based on the concept of diascalar fluxes, to interpret the mixing in the stratified fluid in the BBL and suggest that this may have wider application than to the particular configuration studied here.

Instability of a boundary layer flow on a vertical wall in a stably stratified fluid

2016 ◽  
Vol 795 ◽  
pp. 262-277 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun Chen ◽  
Yang Bai ◽  
Stéphane Le Dizès
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Froude Number ◽  
Boundary Layer Flow ◽  
Vertical Wall ◽  
Stratified Fluid ◽  
Buoyancy Frequency ◽  
Main Stream ◽  
Viscous Instability ◽  
Radiative Instability ◽  
Layer Flow

The stability of a horizontal boundary layer flow on a vertical wall in a viscous stably stratified fluid is considered in this work. A temporal stability analysis is performed for a tanh velocity profile as a function of the Reynolds number $Re=UL/{\it\nu}$ and the Froude number $F=U/(LN)$ where $U$ is the main stream velocity, $L$ the boundary layer thickness, $N$ the buoyancy frequency and ${\it\nu}$ the kinematic viscosity. The diffusion of density is neglected. The boundary layer flow is found to be unstable with respect to two instabilities. The first one is the classical viscous instability which gives rise to Tollmien–Schlichting (TS) waves. We demonstrate that, even in the presence of stratification, the most unstable TS wave remains two-dimensional and therefore independent of the Froude number. The other instability is three-dimensional, inviscid in nature and associated with the stratification. It corresponds to the so-called radiative instability. We show that this instability appears first for $Re\geqslant Re_{c}^{(r)}\approx 1995$ for a Froude number close to 1.5 whereas the viscous instability develops for $Re\geqslant Re_{c}^{(v)}\approx 3980$. For large Reynolds numbers, the radiative instability is also shown to exhibit a much larger growth rate than the viscous instability in a large Froude number interval. We argue that this instability could develop in experimental facilities as well as in geophysical situations encountered in ocean and atmosphere.

scholarly journals Dynamics of a Turbulent Buoyant Plume in a Stratified Fluid: An Idealized Model of Subglacial Discharge in Greenland Fjords

2017 ◽  
Vol 47 (10) ◽  
pp. 2611-2630 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ekaterina Ezhova ◽  
Claudia Cenedese ◽  
Luca Brandt
Keyword(s):  
Internal Waves ◽  
Lower Layer ◽  
Subsurface Layer ◽  
Turbulent Jets ◽  
Stratified Fluid ◽  
Buoyant Plume ◽  
Homogeneous Fluid ◽  
Idealized Model ◽  
Turbulent Entrainment ◽  
Large Eddy

AbstractThis study reports the results of large-eddy simulations of an axisymmetric turbulent buoyant plume in a stratified fluid. The configuration used is an idealized model of the plume generated by a subglacial discharge at the base of a tidewater glacier with an ambient stratification typical of Greenland fjords. The plume is discharged from a round source of various diameters and characteristic stratifications for summer and winter are considered. The classical theory for the integral parameters of a turbulent plume in a homogeneous fluid gives accurate predictions in the weakly stratified lower layer up to the pycnocline, and the plume dynamics are not sensitive to changes in the source diameter. In winter, when the stratification is similar to an idealized two-layer case, turbulent entrainment and generation of internal waves by the plume top are in agreement with the theoretical and numerical results obtained for turbulent jets in a two-layer stratification. In summer, instead, the stratification is more complex and turbulent entrainment by the plume top is significantly reduced. The subsurface layer in summer is characterized by a strong density gradient and the oscillating plume generates internal waves that might serve as an indicator of submerged plumes not penetrating to the surface.

scholarly journals Triads and Rogue Events for Internal Waves in Stratified Fluids with a Constant Buoyancy Frequency

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 577
Author(s):  
Qing Pan ◽  
Hui-Min Yin ◽  
Kwok W. Chow
Keyword(s):  
Internal Waves ◽  
Plane Waves ◽  
Wave Spectrum ◽  
Dynamical Evolution ◽  
Rogue Waves ◽  
Wave Mode ◽  
Transport Processes ◽  
Buoyancy Frequency ◽  
Extreme Waves ◽  
Surface Gravity Wave

Internal waves in a stratified fluid with a constant buoyancy frequency were studied, with special attention given to rogue modes, extreme waves, dynamical evolution, and Fermi–Pasta–Ulam–Tsingou type recurrence phenomena. Rogue waves for triads in a general physical setting have recently been derived analytically, but the implications in a fluid mechanics context have not yet been fully assessed. Numerical simulations were conducted for cases of coupled triads where the common member is a daughter wave mode. In sharp contrast with previous studies, rogue modes instead of plane waves were used as the initial condition. Furthermore, spatial dependence was incorporated. Rogue or extreme waves in one set of triads provided a possible mechanism for significant energy transfer among modes of the internal wave spectrum, in addition to the other known theories, e.g., weak turbulence. Remarkably, Fermi–Pasta–Ulam–Tsingou recurrence types of growth and decay cycles arose, similarly to those observed for surface gravity wave groups governed by the cubic nonlinear Schrödinger equation. These mechanisms will enhance our understanding of transport processes in oceans.

Nonlinear Internal Waves in Stratified Fluid With Homogeneous Layer

2005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikolai I. Makarenko ◽  
Janna L. Maltseva
Keyword(s):  
Internal Waves ◽  
Lower Layer ◽  
Nonlinear Ordinary Differential Equation ◽  
Homogeneous Layer ◽  
Constant Density ◽  
Long Wave ◽  
Scaling Procedure ◽  
Internal Bores ◽  
Long Wave Approximation ◽  
Exponential Stratification

The problem of steady internal waves in a weakly stratified two-layered fluid is studied analytically. We discuss the model with a constant density in lower layer and exponential stratification in the other one. The long-wave approximation using a scaling procedure with small Boussinesq parameter is constructed. The nonlinear ordinary differential equation describing large amplitude solitary waves and internal bores is obtained.

scholarly journals On the boundary layer arising in the spin-up of a stratified fluid in a container with sloping walls

1997 ◽  
Vol 335 ◽  
pp. 233-259 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. W. DUCK ◽  
M. R. FOSTER ◽  
R. E. HEWITT
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Layer Structure ◽  
Outer Region ◽  
Stratified Fluid ◽  
Main Body ◽  
Similarity Type ◽  
Cone Apex ◽  
Uniform Solution ◽  
Steady Solutions ◽  
Finite Time Singularity

In this paper we consider the boundary layer that forms on the sloping walls of a rotating container (notably a conical container), filled with a stratified fluid, when flow conditions are changed abruptly from some initial (uniform) state. The structure of the solution valid away from the cone apex is derived, and it is shown that a similarity-type solution is appropriate. This system, which is inherently nonlinear in nature, is solved numerically for several flow regimes, and the results reveal a number of interesting and diverse features.In one case, a steady state is attained at large times inside the boundary layer. In a second case, a finite-time singularity occurs, which is fully analysed. A third scenario involves a double boundary-layer structure developing at large times, most significantly including an outer region that grows in thickness as the square-root of time.We also consider directly the nonlinear fully steady solutions to the problem, and map out in parameter space the likely ultimate flow behaviour. Intriguingly, we find cases where, when the rotation rate of the container is equal to that of the main body of the fluid, an alternative nonlinear state is preferred, rather than the trivial (uniform) solution.Finally, utilizing Laplace transforms, we re-investigate the linear initial-value problem for small differential spin-up studied by MacCready & Rhines (1991), recovering the growing-layer solution they found. However, in contrast to earlier work, we find a critical value of the buoyancy parameter beyond which the solution grows exponentially in time, consistent with our nonlinear results.

scholarly journals Gravity currents and internal waves in a stratified fluid

2008 ◽  
Vol 616 ◽  
pp. 327-356 ◽  
Author(s):  
BRIAN L. WHITE ◽  
KARL R. HELFRICH
Keyword(s):  
Internal Waves ◽  
Wave Speed ◽  
Numerical Solutions ◽  
Gravity Current ◽  
Gravity Currents ◽  
Stratified Fluid ◽  
Front Speed ◽  
Long Wave ◽  
Conjugate State ◽  
Energy Conserving

A steady theory is presented for gravity currents propagating with constant speed into a stratified fluid with a general density profile. Solution curves for front speed versus height have an energy-conserving upper bound (the conjugate state) and a lower bound marked by the onset of upstream influence. The conjugate state is the largest-amplitude nonlinear internal wave supported by the ambient stratification, and in the limit of weak stratification approaches Benjamin's energy-conserving gravity current solution. When the front speed becomes critical with respect to linear long waves generated above the current, steady solutions cannot be calculated, implying upstream influence. For non-uniform stratification, the critical long-wave speed exceeds the ambient long-wave speed, and the critical-Froude-number condition appropriate for uniform stratification must be generalized. The theoretical results demonstrate a clear connection between internal waves and gravity currents. The steady theory is also compared with non-hydrostatic numerical solutions of the full lock release initial-value problem. Some solutions resemble classic gravity currents with no upstream disturbance, but others show long internal waves propagating ahead of the gravity current. Wave generation generally occurs when the stratification and current speed are such that the steady gravity current theory fails. Thus the steady theory is consistent with the occurrence of either wave-generating or steady gravity solutions to the dam-break problem. When the available potential energy of the dam is large enough, the numerical simulations approach the energy-conserving conjugate state. Existing laboratory experiments for intrusions and gravity currents produced by full-depth lock exchange flows over a range of stratification profiles show excellent agreement with the conjugate state solutions.

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