scholarly journals Dynamical and Synoptic Characteristics of Heavy Rainfall Episodes in Southern Brazil

2007 ◽  
Vol 135 (2) ◽  
pp. 598-617 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mateusda Silva Teixeira ◽  
Prakki Satyamurty

Abstract The dynamical and synoptic characteristics that distinguish heavy rainfall episodes from nonheavy rainfall episodes in southern Brazil are discussed. A heavy rainfall episode is defined here as one in which the 50 mm day−1 isohyet encloses an area of not less than 10 000 km2 in the domain of southern Brazil. One hundred and seventy such events are identified in the 11-yr period of 1991–2001. The mean flow patterns in the period of 1–3 days preceding the episodes show some striking synoptic-scale features that may be considered forerunners of these episodes: (i) a deepening midtropospheric trough in the eastern South Pacific approaches the continent 3 days before, (ii) a surface low pressure center forms in northern Argentina 1 day before, (iii) a northerly low-level jet develops over Paraguay 2 days before, and (iv) a strong moisture flux convergence over southern Brazil becomes prominent 1 day before the episode. A parameter called rainfall quantity, defined as the product of the area enclosed by the 50 mm day−1 isohyet and the average rainfall intensity, is correlated with fields of atmospheric variables such as 500-hPa geopotential and 850-hPa meridional winds. Significant lag correlations show that the anomalies of some atmospheric variables could be viewed as precursors of heavy rainfall in southern Brazil that can be explored for use in improving the forecasts.

2016 ◽  
Vol 145 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-47 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ron McTaggart-Cowan ◽  
John R. Gyakum ◽  
Richard W. Moore

Abstract As subsaturated air ascends sloping isentropic surfaces, adiabatic expansion results in cooling and relative moistening. This process is an effective way to precondition the atmosphere for efficient moist processes while bringing parcels to saturation, and thereafter acts to maintain saturation during condensation. The goal of this study is to develop a diagnostic quantity that highlights circulations and regions in which the process of parcel moistening by isentropic ascent is active. Among the many features that rely on this process for the generation of an important fraction of their energy are oceanic cyclones, transitioning tropical cyclones, warm conveyor belts, diabatic Rossby vortices, and predecessor rain events. The baroclinic moisture flux (BMF) is defined as moisture transport by the component of vertical motion associated with isentropic upgliding. In warm conveyor belt and diabatic Rossby vortex case studies, the BMF appears to be successful in identifying the portion of the circulation in which this process is actively bringing parcels to saturation to promote the formation of clouds and precipitation. On a broader scale, the climatological maxima of the BMF highlight regions in which parcel moistening by isentropic ascent is anticipated to have a nonnegligible impact on the atmospheric state either through the action of the mean flow or via the repeated occurrence of isolated large-BMF events. The process-centric foundation of the BMF makes it useful as a filtering or exploratory variable, with the potential for extension into predictive applications.


1985 ◽  
Vol 50 (11) ◽  
pp. 2396-2410
Author(s):  
Miloslav Hošťálek ◽  
Ivan Fořt

The study describes a method of modelling axial-radial circulation in a tank with an axial impeller and radial baffles. The proposed model is based on the analytical solution of the equation for vortex transport in the mean flow of turbulent liquid. The obtained vortex flow model is tested by the results of experiments carried out in a tank of diameter 1 m and with the bottom in the shape of truncated cone as well as by the data published for the vessel of diameter 0.29 m with flat bottom. Though the model equations are expressed in a simple form, good qualitative and even quantitative agreement of the model with reality is stated. Apart from its simplicity, the model has other advantages: minimum number of experimental data necessary for the completion of boundary conditions and integral nature of these data.


2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (10) ◽  
pp. 4323-4331 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wouter J. M. Knoben ◽  
Jim E. Freer ◽  
Ross A. Woods

Abstract. A traditional metric used in hydrology to summarize model performance is the Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE). Increasingly an alternative metric, the Kling–Gupta efficiency (KGE), is used instead. When NSE is used, NSE = 0 corresponds to using the mean flow as a benchmark predictor. The same reasoning is applied in various studies that use KGE as a metric: negative KGE values are viewed as bad model performance, and only positive values are seen as good model performance. Here we show that using the mean flow as a predictor does not result in KGE = 0, but instead KGE =1-√2≈-0.41. Thus, KGE values greater than −0.41 indicate that a model improves upon the mean flow benchmark – even if the model's KGE value is negative. NSE and KGE values cannot be directly compared, because their relationship is non-unique and depends in part on the coefficient of variation of the observed time series. Therefore, modellers who use the KGE metric should not let their understanding of NSE values guide them in interpreting KGE values and instead develop new understanding based on the constitutive parts of the KGE metric and the explicit use of benchmark values to compare KGE scores against. More generally, a strong case can be made for moving away from ad hoc use of aggregated efficiency metrics and towards a framework based on purpose-dependent evaluation metrics and benchmarks that allows for more robust model adequacy assessment.


2021 ◽  
Vol 108 ◽  
pp. 106377
Author(s):  
Mohammed Faheem ◽  
Aqib Khan ◽  
Rakesh Kumar ◽  
Sher Afghan Khan ◽  
Waqar Asrar ◽  
...  

Fluids ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 162 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thorben Helmers ◽  
Philip Kemper ◽  
Jorg Thöming ◽  
Ulrich Mießner

Microscopic multiphase flows have gained broad interest due to their capability to transfer processes into new operational windows and achieving significant process intensification. However, the hydrodynamic behavior of Taylor droplets is not yet entirely understood. In this work, we introduce a model to determine the excess velocity of Taylor droplets in square microchannels. This velocity difference between the droplet and the total superficial velocity of the flow has a direct influence on the droplet residence time and is linked to the pressure drop. Since the droplet does not occupy the entire channel cross-section, it enables the continuous phase to bypass the droplet through the corners. A consideration of the continuity equation generally relates the excess velocity to the mean flow velocity. We base the quantification of the bypass flow on a correlation for the droplet cap deformation from its static shape. The cap deformation reveals the forces of the flowing liquids exerted onto the interface and allows estimating the local driving pressure gradient for the bypass flow. The characterizing parameters are identified as the bypass length, the wall film thickness, the viscosity ratio between both phases and the C a number. The proposed model is adapted with a stochastic, metaheuristic optimization approach based on genetic algorithms. In addition, our model was successfully verified with high-speed camera measurements and published empirical data.


Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (12) ◽  
pp. 3625
Author(s):  
Jon Hardwick ◽  
Ed B. L. Mackay ◽  
Ian G. C. Ashton ◽  
Helen C. M. Smith ◽  
Philipp R. Thies

Numerical modeling of currents and waves is used throughout the marine energy industry for resource assessment. This study compared the output of numerical flow simulations run both as a standalone model and as a two-way coupled wave–current simulation. A regional coupled flow-wave model was established covering the English Channel using the Delft D-Flow 2D model coupled with a SWAN spectral wave model. Outputs were analyzed at three tidal energy sites: Alderney Race, Big Roussel (Guernsey), and PTEC (Isle of Wight). The difference in the power in the tidal flow between coupled and standalone model runs was strongly correlated to the relative direction of the waves and currents. The net difference between the coupled and standalone runs was less than 2.5%. However, when wave and current directions were aligned, the mean flow power was increased by up to 7%, whereas, when the directions were opposed, the mean flow power was reduced by as much as 9.6%. The D-Flow Flexible Mesh model incorporates the effects of waves into the flow calculations in three areas: Stokes drift, forcing by radiation stress gradients, and enhancement of the bed shear stress. Each of these mechanisms is discussed. Forcing from radiation stress gradients is shown to be the dominant mechanism affecting the flow conditions at the sites considered, primarily caused by dissipation of wave energy due to white-capping. Wave action is an important consideration at tidal energy sites. Although the net impact on the flow power was found to be small for the present sites, the effect is site specific and may be significant at sites with large wave exposure or strong asymmetry in the flow conditions and should thus be considered for detailed resource and engineering assessments.


Author(s):  
Alexander Vakhrushev ◽  
Abdellah Kharicha ◽  
Ebrahim Karimi-Sibaki ◽  
Menghuai Wu ◽  
Andreas Ludwig ◽  
...  

AbstractA numerical study is presented that deals with the flow in the mold of a continuous slab caster under the influence of a DC magnetic field (electromagnetic brakes (EMBrs)). The arrangement and geometry investigated here is based on a series of previous experimental studies carried out at the mini-LIMMCAST facility at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR). The magnetic field models a ruler-type EMBr and is installed in the region of the ports of the submerged entry nozzle (SEN). The current article considers magnet field strengths up to 441 mT, corresponding to a Hartmann number of about 600, and takes the electrical conductivity of the solidified shell into account. The numerical model of the turbulent flow under the applied magnetic field is implemented using the open-source CFD package OpenFOAM®. Our numerical results reveal that a growing magnitude of the applied magnetic field may cause a reversal of the flow direction at the meniscus surface, which is related the formation of a “multiroll” flow pattern in the mold. This phenomenon can be explained as a classical magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) effect: (1) the closure of the induced electric current results not primarily in a braking Lorentz force inside the jet but in an acceleration in regions of previously weak velocities, which initiates the formation of an opposite vortex (OV) close to the mean jet; (2) this vortex develops in size at the expense of the main vortex until it reaches the meniscus surface, where it becomes clearly visible. We also show that an acceleration of the meniscus flow must be expected when the applied magnetic field is smaller than a critical value. This acceleration is due to the transfer of kinetic energy from smaller turbulent structures into the mean flow. A further increase in the EMBr intensity leads to the expected damping of the mean flow and, consequently, to a reduction in the size of the upper roll. These investigations show that the Lorentz force cannot be reduced to a simple damping effect; depending on the field strength, its action is found to be topologically complex.


2021 ◽  
Vol 73 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chunming Huang ◽  
Wei Li ◽  
Shaodong Zhang ◽  
Gang Chen ◽  
Kaiming Huang ◽  
...  

AbstractThe eastward- and westward-traveling 10-day waves with zonal wavenumbers up to 6 from surface to the middle mesosphere during the recent 12 years from 2007 to 2018 are deduced from MERRA-2 data. On the basis of climatology study, the westward-propagating wave with zonal wave number 1 (W1) and eastward-propagating waves with zonal wave numbers 1 (E1) and 2 (E2) are identified as the dominant traveling ones. They are all active at mid- and high-latitudes above the troposphere and display notable month-to-month variations. The W1 and E2 waves are strong in the NH from December to March and in the SH from June to October, respectively, while the E1 wave is active in the SH from August to October and also in the NH from December to February. Further case study on E1 and E2 waves shows that their latitude–altitude structures are dependent on the transmission condition of the background atmosphere. The presence of these two waves in the stratosphere and mesosphere might have originated from the downward-propagating wave excited in the mesosphere by the mean flow instability, the upward-propagating wave from the troposphere, and/or in situ excited wave in the stratosphere. The two eastward waves can exert strong zonal forcing on the mean flow in the stratosphere and mesosphere in specific periods. Compared with E2 wave, the dramatic forcing from the E1 waves is located in the poleward regions.


2013 ◽  
Vol 838-841 ◽  
pp. 1743-1748
Author(s):  
Dian Guang Ma ◽  
Chun Xin Zhong ◽  
Wu Ning ◽  
Qing Ye ◽  
Sheng Zhu

A model experiment about the hydraulic roughness of natural turf used in riverbank was carried out in flume. To examine the rationality of experimental design, the hydraulic roughness coefficient of plexiglass-flume was tested firstly. The result was 0.0085, which is quite normal. Then the tested hydraulic roughness caused by vegetation ranges from 0.020 to 0.090 for the chosen plants, which is also acceptable. Furthermore, the tested incipient velocities of krasnozem, and paddysoil had the range of 0.55~0.65m·s-1 and 1.0~1.1m·s-1, respectively. All these experimental results are in normal range, which means that the design of this experimental is rational. Experimental research illustrate that, the roughness coefficient of plant reduces with the increasing of flow velocity. When the mean flow velocity is over 3m·s-1, Mannings n values vary between 0.025 and 0.035. This phenomenon is accord with the theoretic analysis. During the scouring process, not only the flow velocity, but also the flow duration has an obvious effect on the coarseness of vegetative bed.


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