scholarly journals Dynamics of Orographically Triggered Banded Convection in Sheared Moist Orographic Flows

2007 ◽  
Vol 64 (10) ◽  
pp. 3542-3561 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oliver Fuhrer ◽  
Christoph Schär
Keyword(s):  
Small Amplitude ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Horizontal Resolution ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Mean Flow ◽  
Topographic Roughness ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Orographic Convection ◽  
Wind Profiles

Abstract Shallow orographic convection embedded in an unstable cap cloud can organize into convective bands. Previous research has highlighted the important role of small-amplitude topographic variations in triggering and organizing banded convection. Here, the underlying dynamical mechanisms are systematically investigated by conducting three-dimensional simulations of moist flows past a two-dimensional mountain ridge using a cloud-resolving numerical model. Most simulations address a sheared environment to account for the observed wind profiles. Results confirm that small-amplitude topographic variations can enhance the development of embedded convection and anchor quasi-stationary convective bands to a fixed location in space. The resulting precipitation patterns exhibit tremendous spatial variability, since regions receiving heavy rainfall can be only kilometers away from regions receiving little or no rain. In addition, the presence of banded convection has important repercussions on the area-mean precipitation amounts. For the experimental setup here, the gravity wave response to small-amplitude topographic variations close to the upstream edge of the cap cloud (which is forced by the larger-scale topography) is found to be the dominant triggering mechanism. Small-scale variations in the underlying topography are found to force the location and spacing of convective bands over a wide range of scales. Further, a self-sufficient mode of unsteady banded convection is investigated that does not dependent on external perturbations and is able to propagate against the mean flow. Finally, the sensitivity of model simulations of banded convection with respect to horizontal computational resolution is investigated. Consistent with predictions from a linear stability analysis, convective bands of increasingly smaller scales are favored as the horizontal resolution is increased. However, small-amplitude topographic roughness is found to trigger banded convection and to control the spacing and location of the resulting bands. Thereby, the robustness of numerical simulations with respect to an increase in horizontal resolution is increased in the presence of topographic variations.

Turbulent flow between counter-rotating concentric cylinders: a direct numerical simulation study

2008 ◽  
Vol 615 ◽  
pp. 371-399 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. DONG
Keyword(s):  
Turbulent Flow ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Outer Cylinder ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Reynolds Numbers ◽  
Taylor Vortex ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Mean Flow ◽  
Concentric Cylinders ◽  
High Reynolds

We report three-dimensional direct numerical simulations of the turbulent flow between counter-rotating concentric cylinders with a radius ratio 0.5. The inner- and outer-cylinder Reynolds numbers have the same magnitude, which ranges from 500 to 4000 in the simulations. We show that with the increase of Reynolds number, the prevailing structures in the flow are azimuthal vortices with scales much smaller than the cylinder gap. At high Reynolds numbers, while the instantaneous small-scale vortices permeate the entire domain, the large-scale Taylor vortex motions manifested by the time-averaged field do not penetrate a layer of fluid near the outer cylinder. Comparisons between the standard Taylor–Couette system (rotating inner cylinder, fixed outer cylinder) and the counter-rotating system demonstrate the profound effects of the Coriolis force on the mean flow and other statistical quantities. The dynamical and statistical features of the flow have been investigated in detail.

Atmospheric Factors Governing Banded Orographic Convection

2005 ◽  
Vol 62 (10) ◽  
pp. 3758-3774 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel J. Kirshbaum ◽  
Dale R. Durran
Keyword(s):  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Heavy Precipitation ◽  
Thermal Fluctuations ◽  
Dominant Mode ◽  
Vertical Shear ◽  
Dimensional Structure ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Atmospheric Structure ◽  
Orographic Convection ◽  
Orographic Cloud

Abstract The three-dimensional structure of shallow orographic convection is investigated through simulations performed with a cloud-resolving numerical model. In moist flows that overcome a given topographic barrier to form statically unstable cap clouds, the organization of the convection depends on both the atmospheric structure and the mechanism by which the convection is initiated. Convection initiated by background thermal fluctuations embedded in the flow over a smooth mountain (without any small-scale topographic features) tends to be cellular and disorganized except that shear-parallel bands may form in flows with strong unidirectional vertical shear. The development of well-organized bands is favored when there is weak static instability inside the cloud and when the dry air surrounding the cloud is strongly stable. These bands move with the flow and distribute their cumulative precipitation evenly over the mountain upslope. Similar shear-parallel bands also develop in flows where convection is initiated by small-scale topographic noise superimposed onto the main mountain profile, but in this case stronger circulations are also triggered that create stationary rainbands parallel to the low-level flow. This second dominant mode, which is less sensitive to the atmospheric structure and the strength of forcing, is triggered by lee waves that form over small-scale topographic bumps near the upstream edge of the main orographic cloud. Due to their stationarity, these flow-parallel bands can produce locally heavy precipitation amounts.

The influence of mean shear on Alfvén-internal wave propagation

1976 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 197-222
Author(s):  
R. J. Hartman
Keyword(s):  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Dimensional System ◽  
Linear Wave ◽  
Mean Flow ◽  
Wave Processes ◽  
Initial Value ◽  
Initial Wave ◽  
Wave Phenomena ◽  
Three Dimensional System

This paper uses the general solution of the linearized initial-value problem for an unbounded, exponentially-stratified, perfectly-conducting Couette flow in the presence of a uniform magnetic field to study the development of localized wave-type perturbations to the basic flow. The two-dimensional problem is shown to be stable for all hydrodynamic Richardson numbers JH, positive and negative, and wave packets in this flow are shown to approach, asymptotically, a level in the fluid (the ‘isolation level’) which is a smooth, continuous, function of JH that is well defined for JH < 0 as well as JH > 0. This system exhibits a rich complement of wave phenomena and a variety of mechanisms for the transport of mean flow kinetic and potential energy, via linear wave processes, between widely-separated regions of fluid; this in addition to the usual mechanisms for the absorption of the initial wave energy itself. The appropriate three-dimensional system is discussed, and the role of nonlinearities on the development of localized disturbances is considered.

scholarly journals The role of Edge-Driven Convection in the generation of volcanism I: a 2D systematic study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Manjón-Cabeza Córdoba ◽  
Maxim Ballmer
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Models ◽  
High Volume ◽  
Oceanic Lithosphere ◽  
Companion Paper ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Continental Lithosphere ◽  
Transient Phenomenon ◽  
Mantle Viscosity ◽  
Wide Range

Abstract. The origin of intraplate volcanism is not explained by the plate tectonic theory, and several models have been put forward for explanation. One of these models involves Edge-Driven Convection (EDC), in which cold and thick continental lithosphere is juxtaposed to warm and thin oceanic lithosphere to trigger convective instability. To test whether EDC can produce long-lived high-volume magmatism, we run numerical models of EDC for a wide range of mantle properties and edge (i.e., the oceanic-continental transition) geometries. We find that the most important parameters that govern EDC are the rheological paramaters mantle viscosity η0 and activation energy Ea. However, even the maximum melting volumes found in our models are insufficient to account for island-building volcanism on old seafloor, such as at the Canary Islands and Cape Verde. Also, beneath old seafloor, localized EDC-related melting commonly transitions into widespread melting due to small-scale sublithospheric convection, inconsistent with the distribution of volcanism at these volcanic chains. In turn, EDC is a good candidate to sustain the formation of small seamounts on young seafloor, as it is a highly transient phenomenon that occurs in all our models soon after initiation. In a companion paper, we investigate the implications of interaction of EDC with mantle-plume activity.

scholarly journals The role of edge-driven convection in the generation of volcanism – Part 1: A 2D systematic study

Solid Earth ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 613-632
Author(s):  
Antonio Manjón-Cabeza Córdoba ◽  
Maxim D. Ballmer
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Models ◽  
High Volume ◽  
Oceanic Lithosphere ◽  
Companion Paper ◽  
Rheological Parameters ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Transient Phenomenon ◽  
Mantle Viscosity ◽  
Wide Range

Abstract. The origin of intraplate volcanism is not explained by plate tectonic theory, and several models have been put forward for explanation. One of these models involves edge-driven convection (EDC), in which cold and thick continental lithosphere is juxtaposed with warm and thin oceanic lithosphere to trigger convective instability. To test whether EDC can produce long-lived high-volume magmatism, we run numerical models of EDC for a wide range of mantle properties and edge (i.e., the oceanic–continental transition) geometries. We find that the most important parameters that govern EDC are the rheological parameters mantle viscosity η0 and activation energy Ea. However, even the maximum melting volumes predicted by our most extreme cases are insufficient to account for island-building volcanism on old seafloor, such as at the Canary Islands and Cabo Verde. Also, beneath old seafloor, localized EDC-related melting commonly transitions into widespread melting due to small-scale sublithospheric convection, inconsistent with the distribution of volcanism at these volcano chains. In turn, EDC is a good candidate to sustain the formation of small seamounts on young seafloor, as it is a highly transient phenomenon that occurs in all our models soon after initiation. In a companion paper, we investigate the implications of interaction of EDC with mantle plume activity (Manjón-Cabeza Córdoba and Ballmer, 2021).

Diversity of the sponge fauna associated with white coral banks from two Sardinian canyons (Mediterranean Sea)

2019 ◽  
Vol 99 (8) ◽  
pp. 1735-1751 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Bertolino ◽  
S. Ricci ◽  
S. Canese ◽  
A. Cau ◽  
G. Bavestrello ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Cold Water ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Tyrrhenian Sea ◽  
Lophelia Pertusa ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Santa Maria

AbstractThe three-dimensional coral scaffolds formed by the skeletons of the cold-water corals Madrepora oculata and Lophelia pertusa represent an important deep-sea hard substratum and create an optimal shelter for a rich associated fauna in which the contribution of Porifera has still not been fully considered. The taxonomic analysis of sponges collected from two Sardinian canyons (Nora and Coda Cavallo, 256–408 m) and associated with the dead coral matrix resulted in 28 species, including new records for the Mediterranean Sea, Italian fauna or Central Tyrrhenian Sea. In addition, for many species this is the first finding associated with the coral framework or the first documentation of the in situ morphology. The taxonomic comparison with sponge assemblages associated with coral frameworks from Santa Maria di Leuca, Strait of Sicily and Bari Canyon, gave the opportunity to evaluate the similarities among geographically separated banks. Overall, the percentage of exclusive species (recorded only in one site), is very high (81%) and only one species is shared by all four sites, suggesting a low connectivity among the sponge communities. The percentage of shared species is higher for the Maltese community, supporting the role of the Sicily Channel as a crossroads between the communities of the eastern and western Mediterranean basins. Here, 55% of the sponges associated to the coral framework are also reported in shallow-water coralligenous assemblages, indicating a high bathymetric connectivity as well as an ecological plasticity allowing these species to occupy a wide range of small, dark refuges.

scholarly journals Measurement of three-dimensional displacement field in piled embankments using synchrotron X-ray tomography

2019 ◽  
Vol 56 (6) ◽  
pp. 885-892 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louis King ◽  
Abdelmalek Bouazza ◽  
Anton Maksimenko ◽  
Will P. Gates ◽  
Stephen Dubsky
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Imaging Techniques ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Physical Models ◽  
Scale Model ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Full Field ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Piled Embankments

The measurement of displacement fields by nondestructive imaging techniques opens up the potential to study the pre-failure mechanisms of a wide range of geotechnical problems within physical models. With the advancement of imaging technologies, it has become possible to achieve high-resolution three-dimensional computed tomography volumes of relatively large samples, which may have previously resulted in excessively long scan times or significant imaging artefacts. Imaging of small-scale model piled embankments (142 mm diameter) comprising sand was undertaken using the imaging and medical beamline at the Australian Synchrotron. The monochromatic X-ray beam produced high-resolution reconstructed volumes with a fine texture due to the size and mineralogy of the sand grains as well as the phase contrast enhancement achieved by the monochromatic X-ray beam. The reconstructed volumes were well suited to the application of digital volume correlation, which utilizes cross-correlation techniques to estimate three-dimensional full-field displacement vectors. The output provides insight into the strain localizations that develop within piled embankments and an example of how advanced imaging techniques can be utilized to study the kinematics of physical models.

On the interaction of an internal wavepacket with its induced mean flow and the role of streaming

2018 ◽  
Vol 838 ◽  
Author(s):  
Boyu Fan ◽  
T. Kataoka ◽  
T. R. Akylas
Keyword(s):  
Nonlinear Interaction ◽  
Laboratory Experiments ◽  
Modulation Instability ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Mean Flow ◽  
Interaction Dynamics ◽  
Dimensional Gravity ◽  
Combined Action ◽  
Beam Bending

The coupled nonlinear interaction of three-dimensional gravity–inertia internal wavepackets, in the form of beams with nearly monochromatic profile, with their induced mean flow is discussed. Unlike general three-dimensional wavepackets, such modulated nearly monochromatic beams are not susceptible to modulation instability from their inviscid, purely modulation-induced mean flow. However, streaming – the induced mean flow associated with the production of mean potential vorticity via the combined action of dissipation and nonlinearity – can cause cross-beam bending, transverse broadening and increased along-beam decay of the beam profile, in qualitative agreement with earlier laboratory experiments. For wavepackets with general three-dimensional modulations, by contrast, streaming does arise, but plays a less prominent role in the interaction dynamics.

Role of Interfaces in Coarsening and Grain Growth

1991 ◽  
Vol 229 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. P. Marsh ◽  
M. E. Glicksman
Keyword(s):  
Grain Growth ◽  
Mean Field ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Liquid Phase Sintering ◽  
Global Constraints ◽  
Material Interfaces ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Matrix ◽  
Field Approaches

AbstractTheories of late-stage phase separation are discussed from the perspective of statistical mean-field approaches, whereby the material interfaces are assumed to interact with the appropriate average microstructural environment. For coarsening of two- and three-dimensional phases, recent progress is presented for selecting the most appropriate averages that characterize the microstructural environment surrounding a domain. The effective mean field, as well as the average interaction distance over which transport occurs, may be determined self-consistently by imposing global constraints that reflect the microstructural phase fractions and by using explicit spatial and ensemble averages of the matrix transport fields. Comparison of new theoretical coarsening rates with liquid-phase sintering experiments show good agreement over a wide range of phase fractions. Extension of this approach to grain growth, which involves more complex topological interactions, is also discussed.

Secondary instability of a temporally growing mixing layer

1987 ◽  
Vol 184 ◽  
pp. 207-243 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ralph W. Metcalfe ◽  
Steven A. Orszag ◽  
Marc E. Brachet ◽  
Suresh Menon ◽  
James J. Riley
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rates ◽  
Stokes Equations ◽  
Mixing Layer ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Mixing Layers ◽  
Navier Stokes ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Two Dimensional ◽  
Mean Flow ◽  
Direct Numerical Integration

The three-dimensional stability of two-dimensional vortical states of planar mixing layers is studied by direct numerical integration of the Navier-Stokes equations. Small-scale instabilities are shown to exist for spanwise scales at which classical linear modes are stable. These modes grow on convective timescales, extract their energy from the mean flow and exist at moderately low Reynolds numbers. Their growth rates are comparable with the most rapidly growing inviscid instability and with the growth rates of two-dimensional subharmonic (pairing) modes. At high amplitudes, they can evolve into pairs of counter-rotating, streamwise vortices, connecting the primary spanwise vortices, which are very similar to the structures observed in laboratory experiments. The three-dimensional modes do not appear to saturate in quasi-steady states as do the purely two-dimensional fundamental and subharmonic modes in the absence of pairing. The subsequent evolution of the flow depends on the relative amplitudes of the pairing modes. Persistent pairings can inhibit three-dimensional instability and, hence, keep the flow predominantly two-dimensional. Conversely, suppression of the pairing process can drive the three-dimensional modes to more chaotic, turbulent-like states. An analysis of high-resolution simulations of fully turbulent mixing layers confirms the existence of rib-like structures and that their coherence depends strongly on the presence of the two-dimensional pairing modes.

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