Hydraulie Control and Flow Separation in a Multi-Layered Fluid with Applications to the Vema Channel

Abstract

Abstract Observations from a recent field experiment in the Vema Channel are briefly described. These show a remarkable change in the configuration of isopycnal surfaces within the channel and the development of thick, nearly homogeneous regions near the bottom which are capped by sharp vertical gradients. Contrary to previous speculation that these “bottom boundary layer” result from enhanced vertical mixing, a dynamical mechanism is explored. This involves the hydraulic adjustment of an inertial, semi-geostrophic flow to the channel geometry. First, an active two-layer flow in a rectangular geometry is studied to show that internal flow separation can occur when the flow is accelerated sufficiently by a narrowing channel. Almost always this separation accompanies hydraulic control: the slowest upstream moving Kelvin wave is stopped and upstream and downstream states are not symmetric with respect to the channel width. An active three-layer flow with a variable bottom profile is then presented as a more ...