Region Of Strong Shear Research Articles

Evaluation of the sensitivity on mesoscale eddy associated with the sea surface height anomaly forecasting in the Kuroshio Extension

The sensitivity of the sea surface height anomaly (SSHA) forecasting on the accuracy of mesoscale eddies over the Kuroshio Extension region, which was determined by the conditional non-linear optimal perturbation (CNOP) method using a two-layer quasigeostrophic model, is evaluated by adopting multiply realistic marine datasets through an advanced particle filter assimilation method. It is shown that, if additional observations are preferentially assimilated to the sensitive area of mesoscale eddies identified by the CNOP, where the eddies present a clear high- to low-velocity gradient along the eddy rotation, the forecasting skill of the SSHA can be more significantly improved. It is also demonstrated that the forecasts of the SSHA in the region where the large-scale mean flow possesses much stronger barotropic and/or baroclinic instability tend to exhibit stronger sensitivity to the accuracy of the initial field in the sensitive area of mesoscale eddies. Therefore, more attention should be preferentially paid to the assimilation of the additional observations of the mesoscale eddies for the SSHA forecast in the region with a strong velocity shear of ocean circulation. The present study verifies the sensitivity on mesoscale eddies of SSHA forecasts derived by the two-layer quasigeostrophic model using multiply sets of realistic oceanic data, especially including observation and reanalysis data, which further additionally demonstrates the importance of targeted observations of mesoscale eddies to the SSHA forecast in the regions of strong velocity shear of ocean circulation and provides a more credible scientific basis for the field campaign of the targeted observations for mesoscale eddies associated with the SSHA forecasting.

Downstream flow field structure in voice prosthesis and its effect on sound generation around the esophageal wall

This study investigates the effects of downstream flow in the voice prosthesis (Provox® Vega) on the esophageal wall during shunt vocalization to identify the dominant factors influencing the sound generated in the esophagus (the original sound in shunt vocalization). The trachea and esophagus were simulated to measure flow in the esophageal section through the voice prosthesis by using particle image velocimetry, and pressure distribution in the esophageal section was calculated by solving Poisson's equation. Downstream flow in the voice prosthesis fluctuated over time due to oscillations of the valve. This flow impinged on the esophageal wall and created a strong shear region that fluctuated over time to give rise to fluctuations in pressure at the same frequency as that of oscillations of the valve on the esophageal wall near the point of impingement. The sound pressure, estimated by using the measured velocity field based on the Ffowcs Williams–Hawkings equation, was compared with the sound pressure measured by a microphone. The results showed that temporal variations in pressure downstream of the voice prosthesis and its impinging on the esophageal wall were the main sources of the sound generated from the voice prosthesis within the esophageal section. The frequency of the generated sound depended on the frequency of oscillations of the valve.

Do coherent structures organize scalar mixing in a turbulent boundary layer?

A scalar emanating from a point source in a turbulent boundary layer does not mix homogeneously, but is organized in large regions with little variation of the concentration: uniform concentration zones. We measure scalar concentration using laser-induced fluorescence and, simultaneously, the three-dimensional velocity field using tomographic particle image velocimetry in a water tunnel boundary layer. We identify uniform concentration zones using both a simple histogram technique, and more advanced cluster analysis. From the complete information on the turbulent velocity field, we compute two candidate velocity structures that may form the boundaries between two uniform concentration zones. One of these structures is related to the rate of point separation along Lagrangian trajectories and the other one involves the magnitude of strong shear in snapshots of the velocity field. Therefore, the first method allows for the history of the flow field to be monitored, while the second method only looks at a snapshot. The separation of fluid parcels in time was measured in two ways: the exponential growth of the separation as time progresses (related to finite-time Lyapunov exponents and unstable manifolds in the theory of dynamical systems), and the exponential growth as time moves backward (stable manifolds). Of these two, a correlation with the edges of uniform concentration zones was found for the past Lyapunov field but not with the time-forward future field. The magnitude of the correlation is comparable to that of the regions of strong shear in the instantaneous velocity field.

Global gyrokinetic simulation of neoclassical ambipolar electric field and its effects on microturbulence in W7-X stellarator

Global neoclassical simulations of a model equilibrium of the W7-X stellarator find an ambipolar electric field with either an ion root or an electron root solution depending on the temperature ratio between electrons and ions. The ambipolar electric field is then used as an equilibrium field in the turbulence simulations of ion temperature gradient (ITG) instability. The shear of the ambipolar electric field has modest effects on the ITG linear instability, nonlinear saturation amplitude, and turbulent transport in the ion root case. However, in the electron root case, the ambipolar electric field significantly reduces the linear ITG growth rate, turbulence intensity, and radial correlation length, resulting in an ion heat conductivity comparable to the neoclassical transport level in the strong shear region.

Influence of low-level blocking and turbulence on the microphysics of a mixed-phase cloud in an inner-Alpine valley

Abstract. Previous studies that investigated orographic precipitation have primarily focused on isolated mountain barriers. Here we investigate the influence of low-level blocking and shear-induced turbulence on the cloud microphysics and precipitation formation in a complex inner-Alpine valley. The analysis focuses on a mid-level cloud in a post-frontal environment and a low-level feeder cloud induced by an in-valley circulation. Observations were obtained from an extensive set of instruments including ground-based remote sensing instrumentation, in situ instrumentation on a tethered-balloon system and ground-based precipitation measurements. During this event, the boundary layer was characterized by a blocked low-level flow and enhanced turbulence in the region of strong vertical wind shear at the boundary between the blocked layer in the valley and the stronger cross-barrier flow aloft. Cloud radar observations indicated changes in the microphysical cloud properties within the turbulent shear layer including enhanced linear depolarization ratio (i.e., change in particle shape or density) and increased radar reflectivity (i.e., enhanced ice growth). Based on the ice particle habits observed at the surface, we suggest that riming, aggregation and needle growth occurred within the turbulent layer. Collisions of fragile ice crystals (e.g., dendrites, needles) and the Hallett–Mossop process might have contributed to secondary ice production. Additionally, in situ instrumentation on the tethered-balloon system observed the presence of a low-level feeder cloud above a small-scale topographic feature, which dissipated when the low-level flow turned from a blocked to an unblocked state. Our observations indicate that the low-level blocking (due to the downstream mountain barrier) created an in-valley circulation, which led to the production of local updrafts and the formation of a low-level feeder cloud. Although the feeder cloud did not enhance precipitation in this particular case (since the majority of the precipitation sublimated when falling through a subsaturated layer above), we propose that local flow effects such as low-level blocking can induce the formation of feeder clouds in mountain valleys and on the leeward slope of foothills upstream of the main mountain barrier, where they can act to enhance orographic precipitation through the seeder–feeder mechanism.

Mesoscale Eddy Dissipation by a “Zoo” of Submesoscale Processes at a Western Boundary

AbstractMesoscale eddies are ubiquitous dynamical features that tend to propagate westward and disappear along ocean western boundaries. Using a multiscale observational study, we assess the extent to which eddies dissipate via a direct cascade of energy at a western boundary. We analyze data from a ship‐based microstructure and velocity survey, and an 18‐month mooring deployment, to document the dissipation of energy in anticyclonic and cyclonic eddies impinging on the topographic slope east of the Bahamas, in the North Atlantic Ocean. These observations reveal high levels of turbulence where the steep and rough topographic slope modified the intensified northward flow associated with, in particular, anticyclonic eddies. Elevated dissipation was observed both near‐bottom and at mid depths (200–800 m). Near‐bottom turbulence occurred in the lee of a protruding escarpment, where elevated Froude numbers suggest hydraulic control. Energy was also radiated in the form of upward‐propagating internal waves. Elevated dissipation at mid depths occurred in regions of strong vertical shear, where the topographic slope modified the vertical structure of the northward eddy flow. Here, low Richardson numbers and a local change in the isopycnal gradient of potential vorticity (PV) suggest that the elevated dissipation was associated with horizontal shear instability. Elevated mid‐depth dissipation was also induced by topographic steering of the flow. This led to large anticyclonic vorticity and negative PV adjacent to the topographic slope, suggesting that centrifugal instability underpinned the local enhancement in dissipation. Our results provide a mechanistic benchmark for the realistic representation of eddy dissipation in ocean models.

Mesoscale Convective Vortex that Causes Tornado-Like Vortices over the Sea: A Potential Risk to Maritime Traffic

AbstractStrong gusty winds in a weak maritime extratropical cyclone (EC) over the Tsushima Strait in the southwestern Sea of Japan capsized several fishing boats on 1 September 2015. A C-band Doppler radar recorded a spiral-shaped reflectivity pattern associated with a convective system and a Doppler velocity pattern of a vortex with a diameter of 30 km [meso-β-scale vortex (MBV)] near the location of the wreck. A high-resolution numerical simulation with horizontal grid interval of 50 m successfully reproduced the spiral-shaped precipitation pattern associated with the MBV and tornado-like strong vortices that had a maximum wind speed exceeding 50 m s−1 and repeatedly developed in the MBV. The simulated MBV had a strong cyclonic circulation comparable to a mesocyclone in a supercell storm. Unlike mesocyclones associated with a supercell storm, however, its vorticity was largest near the surface and decreased monotonically with increasing height. The strong vorticity of the MBV near the surface originated from a horizontal shear line in the EC. The tornado-like vortices developed in a region of strong horizontal shear in the western part of the MBV, suggesting that they were caused by a shear instability.

Simulating Jupiter’s weather layer. Part II: Passive ammonia and water cycles

We examine the ammonia and water cycles in Jupiter’s upper troposphere and lower stratosphere during spin-up of a multiple zonal jet global circulation using Oxford’s Jupiter General Circulation Model. Jupiter’s atmosphere is simulated at 512 × 256 horizontal resolution with 33 vertical levels between 0.01 and 18 bar, putting the lowest level well below the expected water cloud base. Simulations with and without a 5.7 Wm−2 interior heat source were run for 130000–150000 d to allow the deep atmosphere to come into radiative-convective-dynamical equilibrium, with variants on the interior heating case including varying the initial tracer distribution, particle condensate diameter, and cloud process timescales. The cloud scheme includes simple representations of the ammonia and water cycles. Ammonia vapour changes phase to ice, and reacts with hydrogen sulphide to produce ammonium hydrosulphide. Water changes phases between vapour, liquid, and ice depending on local environmental conditions, and all condensates sediment at their respective Stokes velocities. With interior heating, clouds of ammonia ice, ammonium hydrosulphide ice, and water ice form with cloud bases around 0.4 bar, 1.5 bar, and 3 bar, respectively. Without interior heating the ammonia cloud base forms in the same way, but the ammonium hydrosulphide and water clouds sediment to the bottom of the domain. The liquid water cloud is either absent or extremely sparse. Zonal structures form that correlate regions of strong latitudinal shear with regions of constant condensate concentration, implying that jets act as barriers to the mixing. Regions with locally high and low cloud concentrations also correlated with regions of upwelling and downwelling, respectively. Shortly after initialisation, the ammonia vapour distribution up to the cloud base resembles the enhanced concentration seen in Juno observations, due to strong meridional mean circulation at the equator. The resemblance decays rapidly over time, but suggests that at least some of the relevant physics is captured by the model. The comparison should improve with additional microphysics and better representation of the deep ammonia reservoir.

The Momentum Budget in the Stratosphere, Mesosphere, and Lower Thermosphere. Part II: The In Situ Generation of Gravity Waves

The contributions of gravity waves to the momentum budget in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT) is examined using simulation data from the Ground-to-Topside Model of Atmosphere and Ionosphere for Aeronomy (GAIA) whole-atmosphere model. Regardless of the relatively coarse model resolution, gravity waves appear in the MLT region. The resolved gravity waves largely contribute to the MLT momentum budget. A pair of positive and negative Eliassen–Palm flux divergences of the resolved gravity waves are observed in the summer MLT region, suggesting that the resolved gravity waves are likely in situ generated in the MLT region. In the summer MLT region, the mean zonal winds have a strong vertical shear that is likely formed by parameterized gravity wave forcing. The Richardson number sometimes becomes less than a quarter in the strong-shear region, suggesting that the resolved gravity waves are generated by shear instability. In addition, shear instability occurs in the low (middle) latitudes of the summer (winter) MLT region and is associated with diurnal (semidiurnal) migrating tides. Resolved gravity waves are also radiated from these regions. In Part I of this paper, it was shown that Rossby waves in the MLT region are also radiated by the barotropic and/or baroclinic instability formed by parameterized gravity wave forcing. These results strongly suggest that the forcing by gravity waves originating from the lower atmosphere causes the barotropic/baroclinic and shear instabilities in the mesosphere that, respectively, generate Rossby and gravity waves and suggest that the in situ generation and dissipation of these waves play important roles in the momentum budget of the MLT region.

Signature of the Agulhas Current in high resolution satellite derived wind fields

5 years of Systematic Envisat Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar (ASAR) acquisitions and 8 years of observations from the Jason 2 altimeter are used to investigate the signature of the Agulhas Current on high resolution (between 1 and 5 km) satellite-derived winds. The satellite wind observations are analysed together with co-located ocean current, Sea Surface Temperature (SST) and significant wave height information. Satellite-derived winds cannot be considered current relative over the Agulhas Current. SAR and altimeter winds increase in magnitude over the Agulhas Current in all up-, down- and cross-current wind conditions, with contributions from both the ocean surface current and SST. When winds blow against the current, strong accelerations in satellite winds are observed at the Agulhas Current's inshore front, with the strongest winds observed 10 km offshore from the location of maximum SST gradient. The strong SST gradient appears to drive a thermal wind with a magnitude of about 1 m/s and which intensifies/abates the predominant alongfront winds at the Agulhas Current's northern wall. The SAR dataset shows abnormally high increases in wind speeds during up-current conditions in comparisons to the Jason-2 derived winds. We argue that these differences are caused by the inability of the CMOD_type algorithms to taken into account the wave field and provide accurate wind speed estimates in conditions where wave height exceed the expected value for a given wind speed. Our analysis suggests that wave-current interactions in regions of strong current shear produce enhanced sea surface roughness signatures and lead to artificially high estimates of SAR-derived wind speeds. There is future potential in using high resolution SAR imagery to map strong ocean current fronts and thus improve our ability to monitor ocean surface currents from space.

Composite Contains Large Content of In Situ Microfibril, Prepared Directly by Injection Molding: Morphology and Property

AbstractDuring vibration injection molding (VIM), the in situ microfibril composite (MFC) based on high‐density polyethylene (HDPE)/polystyrene (PS) is molded. A large content of uniform microfibrils with an average diameter about 0.55 µm can be found from the surface to the center region. This phenomenon shows a big difference from the skin‐core structure of CIM samples as a result of shear flow. Apart from the PS phase going through a big deformation, the molecular chains of HDPE are also stretched along the flow direction. And finally, some super crystalline, like shish‐kebab, hybrid shish‐kebab structures exist in the strong shear region. Both the microfibril and super crystalline structure make a contribution to the mechanical improvement of the composite according to the mechanical testing results. This work can simplify the traditional MFC process, achieve the goal of direct fibrillation and provide a new idea of utilizing the properties of immiscible polymer systems.

Wake Instability Behind Low-Profile “Convergent Riblet” Vortex Generators in Incompressible Laminar Flow

Vane-type vortex generators have proven to be well suited for passive aerodynamic control through their substantial increase in near-wall momentum. As a structurally strong variance for durable use in low-speed airfoil and turbine applications, this study looks experimentally into the low-profile triangular convergent riblet element (consisting of two short convergent vanes of triangular cross sections with 30 deg half-intervane angles) in incompressible laminar flow. The flow organization and instability within the wake of isolated vortex generators are thus investigated using hot-wire measurements over a length of downstream of the element, where is the local boundary-layer thickness. A preliminary analysis serves first to characterize the effect of the isolated element height across height adjustments for rectangular cross-section elements. A selection of three triangular element heights is subsequently investigated in detail, undergoing the following: 1) with , longitudinal vortices are found to remain quasi steady and with eventual disturbance attenuation; 2) with , the wake starts exhibiting strong fluctuations as it approaches critical conditions; and 3) with , transition to turbulence takes place close behind the element. The switch from a varicose to a sinuous wake instability for low-profile (near-critical) configurations places the transition onset within the region of strong lateral shear.

Velocity and Drag Evolution From the Leading Edge of a Model Mangrove Forest

AbstractAn experimental study of unidirectional flow through a model mangrove forest measured both velocity and forces on individual trees. The individual trees were 1/12th scale models of mature Rhizophora, including 24 prop roots distributed in a three‐dimensional layout. Thirty‐two model trees were distributed in a staggered array producing a 2.5 m long forest. The velocity evolved from a boundary layer profile at the forest leading edge to a vertical profile determined by the vertical distribution of frontal area, with significantly higher velocity above the prop roots. Fully developed conditions were reached at the fifth tree row from the leading edge. Within the root zone the velocity was reduced by up to 50% and the TKE was increased by as much as fivefold, relative to the upstream conditions. TKE in the root zone was mainly produced by root and trunk wakes, and it agreed in magnitude with the estimation obtained using the Tanino and Nepf (2008) formulation. Maximum TKE occurred at the top of the roots, where a strong shear region was associated with the change in frontal area. The drag measured on individual trees decreased from the leading edge and reached a constant value at the fifth row and beyond, i.e., in the fully developed region. The drag exhibited a quadratic dependence on velocity, which justified the definition of a quadratic drag coefficient. Once the correct drag length‐scale was defined, the measured drag coefficients collapsed to a single function of Reynolds number.

Turbulent kinetic energy budget in the boundary layer developing over an urban-like rough wall using PIV

In the present work, a boundary layer developing over a rough-wall consisting of staggered cubes with a plan area packing density λp = 25% is studied within the wind tunnel using Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) to investigate the Turbulent Kinetic Energy (TKE) budget. To access the full TKE budget, an estimation of the dissipation (ε) using both the transport equation of the resolved-scale kinetic energy and Large-Eddy (LE) PIV models based on the use of a subgrid-scale model following the methodology used in large-eddy simulations is employed. A low-pass filter, larger than the Taylor microscale, is applied to the data prior to the computation of the velocity gradients ensuring a clear cutoff in the inertial range where the models are valid. The presence of the cube roughness elements has a significant influence on the TKE budget due to the region of strong shear that develops over the cubes. The shear layer is shown to produce and dissipate energy, as well as transport energy through advection, turbulent transport, and pressure transport. The recirculation region that forms through the interaction of the shear layer and the canopy layer, which is the region below the height of the cube roughness, creates rapid longitudinal evolution of the mean flow thereby inducing weak production. Finally, through stochastic estimation of the conditional average, it is shown that localized regions of backscatter (energy transfer from unresolved to resolved scales) and forward scatter (energy transfer from resolved to unresolved scales) occur as a result of coherent vortical structures.

Thermal transport dynamics in the quasi-single helicity state

A dynamical model describing oscillations between multiple and single helicity configurations in the quasi-single helicity (QSH) state of the reversed field pinch [P. W. Terry and G. G. Whelan, Plasma Phys. Controlled Fusion 56, 094003 (2014)] is extended to include electron temperature profile dynamics. It is shown that QSH dynamics is linked to the electron temperature profile because the suppression of mode coupling between tearing modes proposed to underlie QSH also suppresses magnetic-fluctuation-induced thermal transport. Above the threshold of dominant-mode shear that marks the transition to QSH, the model produces temperature-gradient steepening in the strong shear region. Oscillations of the dominant and secondary mode amplitudes give rise to oscillations of the temperature gradient. The phasing and amplitude of temperature gradient oscillations relative to those of the dominant mode are in agreement with experiment. This provides further evidence that the model, while heuristic, captures key physical aspects of the QSH state.

Interfaces of uniform momentum zones in turbulent boundary layers

In this paper we examine the characteristics of the interfaces that demarcate regions of relatively uniform streamwise momentum in turbulent boundary layers. The analysis utilises particle image velocimetry databases that span more than an order of magnitude of friction Reynolds number ($Re_{\unicode[STIX]{x1D70F}}=10^{3}$–$10^{4}$), enabling us to provide a detailed description of the interfacial layers as a function of Reynolds number. As reported by Adrianet al.(J. Fluid Mech., vol. 422, 2000, pp. 1–54), these interfaces appear as persistent regions of strong shear with distinct patches of vorticity consistent with a packet-like structure. Here, however, we treat these interfaces as continuous lines, thus averaging the properties of the vortical patches, and find that their geometry is highly contorted and exhibits self-similarity across a wide range of scales. Specifically, the lengths of the edges of uniform momentum zones exhibit a power-law behaviour with a fractal scaling that has a constant exponent across the boundary layer, while the topmost edge or the turbulent/non-turbulent interface shows a sudden increase in the exponent. The accompanying sharp changes in velocity that occur at these edges are found to change in magnitude as a function of wall-normal height, being larger closer to the wall. Further, a Reynolds number invariance is exhibited when the magnitude of the step-like changes in velocity is scaled by the skin-friction velocity, meanwhile, the width across which it occurs is shown to be of the order of the Taylor microscale. Based on these quantitative measures, the Reynolds number scaling observed and the persistent presence of sharp changes in momentum in turbulent boundary layers, a simple model is used to reconstruct the mean velocity profile. Insight gained from the model enhances our understanding of how instantaneous phenomena (such as a zonal-like structural arrangement) manifests in the averaged flow statistics and confirms that the instantaneous momentum in a turbulent boundary layer appears to mainly consist of a step-like profile as a function of wall-normal distance.

Sensitivity of the ECMWF Model to Semi-Lagrangian Departure Point Iterations

Accurate estimation of the position of the departure points (d.p.) is crucial for the accuracy of a semi-Lagrangian NWP model. This calculation is often performed applying an implicit discretization to a kinematic equation solved by a fixed-point iteration scheme. A small number of iterations is typically used, assuming that this is sufficient for convergence. This assumption, derived from a past theoretical analysis, is revisited here. Analyzing the convergence of a generic d.p. iteration scheme and testing the ECMWF Integrated Forecast System (IFS) model, it is demonstrated that 2–3 iterations may not be sufficient for convergence to satisfactory accuracy in a modern high-resolution global model. Large forecast improvements can be seen by increasing the number of iterations. The extratropical geopotential error decreases and the simulated vertical structure of tropical cyclones improves. These findings prompted the implementation of an algorithm in which stopping criteria based on estimated convergence rates are used to “dynamically” stop d.p. iterations when an error tolerance criterion is satisfied. This is applied consistently to the nonlinear forecast, tangent linear, and adjoint models used by the ECMWF data assimilation system (4DVAR). Although the additional benefit of dynamic iteration is small, its testing reinforces the conclusion that a larger number of iterations is needed in regions of strong winds and shear. Furthermore, experiments suggest that dynamic iteration may prevent occasional 4DVAR failures in cases of strong stratospheric cross-polar flow in which the tangent linear model becomes unstable.

WRF with Water Vapor Tracers: A Study of Moisture Sources for the North American Monsoon

AbstractThe regional atmospheric Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model with water vapor tracer diagnostics (WRF-WVT) is used to quantify the water vapor from different oceanic and terrestrial regions that contribute to precipitation during the North American monsoon (NAM) season. The 10-yr (2004–13) June–October simulations with 20-km horizontal resolution were driven by North American Regional Reanalysis data. Results show that lower-level moisture comes predominantly from the Gulf of California and is the most important source of precipitation. Upper-level (above 800 mb) southeasterly moisture originates from the Gulf of Mexico and Sierra Madre Occidental to the east. Moisture from within the NAM region (local recycling) is the second-most important precipitation source, as the local atmospheric moisture is very efficiently converted into precipitation. However, WRF-WVT overestimates precipitation and evapotranspiration in the NAM region, particularly over the mountainous terrain. Direct comparisons with moisture source analysis using the extended dynamic recycling model (DRM) reveal that the simple model fails to correctly backtrack moisture in this region of strong vertical wind shear. Furthermore, the assumption of a well-mixed atmosphere causes the simple model to significantly underestimate local recycling. However, the direct comparison with WRF-WVT can be used to guide future DRM improvements.

A Genesis Index for Monsoon Disturbances

AbstractSynoptic-scale monsoon disturbances produce the majority of continental rainfall in the monsoon regions of South Asia and Australia, yet there is little understanding of the conditions that foster development of these low pressure systems. Here a genesis index is used to associate monsoon disturbance genesis in a global domain with monthly mean, climatological environmental variables. This monsoon disturbance genesis index (MDGI) is based on four objectively selected variables: total column water vapor, low-level absolute vorticity, an approximate measure of convective available potential energy, and midtropospheric relative humidity. A Poisson regression is used to estimate the index coefficients. Unlike existing tropical cyclone genesis indices, the MDGI is defined over both land and ocean, consistent with the fact that monsoon disturbance genesis can occur over land. The index coefficients change little from their global values when estimated separately for the Asian–Australian monsoon region or the Indian monsoon region, suggesting that the conditions favorable for monsoon disturbance genesis, and perhaps the dynamics of genesis itself, are common across multiple monsoon regions. Vertical wind shear is found to be a useful predictor in some regional subdomains; although previous studies suggested that baroclinicity may foster monsoon disturbance genesis, here genesis frequency is shown to be reduced in regions of strong climatological vertical shear. The coefficients of the MDGI suggest that monsoon disturbance genesis is fostered by humid, convectively unstable environments that are rich in vorticity. Similarities with indices used to describe the distribution of tropical cyclone genesis are discussed.

A frequency domain linearized Navier–Stokes method including acoustic damping by eddy viscosity using RANS

In this paper, a method for including damping of acoustic energy in regions of strong turbulence is derived for a linearized Navier–Stokes method in the frequency domain. The proposed method is validated and analyzed in 2D only, although the formulation is fully presented in 3D. The result is applied in a study of the linear interaction between the acoustic and the hydrodynamic field in a 2D T-junction, subject to grazing flow at Mach 0.1. Part of the acoustic energy at the upstream edge of the junction is shed as harmonically oscillating disturbances, which are conveyed across the shear layer over the junction, where they interact with the acoustic field. As the acoustic waves travel in regions of strong shear, there is a need to include the interaction between the background turbulence and the acoustic field. For this purpose, the oscillation of the background turbulence Reynold׳s stress, due to the acoustic field, is modeled using an eddy Newtonian model assumption. The time averaged flow is first solved for using RANS along with a k-ε turbulence model. The spatially varying turbulent eddy viscosity is then added to the spatially invariant kinematic viscosity in the acoustic set of equations. The response of the 2D T-junction to an incident acoustic field is analyzed via a plane wave scattering matrix model, and the result is compared to experimental data for a T-junction of rectangular ducts. A strong improvement in the agreement between calculation and experimental data is found when the modification proposed in this paper is implemented. Discrepancies remaining are likely due to inaccuracies in the selected turbulence model, which is known to produce large errors e.g. for flows with significant rotation, which the grazing flow across the T-junction certainly is. A natural next step is therefore to test the proposed methodology together with more sophisticated turbulence models.