Turbulent Mixing Region Research Articles

Shock waves affected turbulent mixing region development in a strut-based scramjet combustor

The mixing of fuel and air is an important issue in the development of current scramjet engines. Defining the mixing region thickness using the fuel mole fraction is one of the widely accepted methods, but a consensus on the specific value of the fuel mole fraction to be used has not yet reached. In order to solve this problem, this paper conducts a detailed numerical study on a hydrogen-fueled strut-based scramjet combustor utilizing the two-dimensional Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equation coupled with the SST k-ω turbulence model. The thickness of the mixing zone formed by the hydrogen jet at the end of the combustor strut and the incoming air is defined by the region with hydrogen molar fraction greater than a certain threshold, and the effects of the incident shock waves on the thickness of the mixing zone are investigated at eight different locations in the mixing zone for the thresholds of 0.05, 0.02, 0.01 and 0.005. The study shows that in order to make the thickness profiles of the mixing zone reflect both the overall law of thickness change and the influence of the shock waves on the thickness of the mixing zone, the threshold value of 0.01 is a better choice. The growth rate of the thickness of the mixing zone decreases and then increases when the shock wave is incident on the mixing zone, and the decrement and the subsequent increment of the growth rate both increase with the intensity of the shock wave.

Sparsity and mixing effects in deep learning predictions of temperature and humidity

Developing deep learning models for predicting environmental data is a powerful tool that can significantly enhance equipment design, optimize the implementation of engineering systems, and deepen our understanding of the limitations imposed by flow physics. This study unequivocally demonstrates the accuracy of forecasting models based on popular deep learning algorithms, such as the long-short-term memory model, in turbulent mixing regions associated with flow physics arising from ventilation. This accuracy is contingent on two essential conditions. First, the sparsity of the sampling data is consistent with the model's accuracy overall. Second, the data sparsity ensures reasonable accuracy in the turbulent mixing regions. The investigation combines high-resolution flow simulation data with deep learning predictions of velocity, temperature, and relative humidity in a ventilated confined space. The results of this study, with their high accuracy, not only help to understand the mixing arising from flow circulation but also pave the way for developing predictive capabilities for environmental data.

Eduction of coherent structures from schlieren images of twin jets using SPOD informed with momentum potential theory in the spectral domain

Abstract This work presents a methodology to extract coherent structures from high-speed schlieren images of turbulent twin jets which are more physically interpretable than those obtained with currently existing techniques. Recently, Prasad and Gaitonde (J Fluid Mech 940:1–11, 2022) introduced an approach which employs the momentum potential theory of Doak (J Sound Vib 131(1):67–90, 1989) to compute potential (acoustic and thermal) energy fluctuations from the schlieren images by solving a Poisson equation, and combines it with spectral proper orthogonal decomposition (SPOD) to educe coherent structures from the momentum potential field instead of the original schlieren field. While the latter field is dominated by a broad range of vortical fluctuations in the turbulent mixing region of unheated high-speed jets, the momentum potential field is governed by fluctuations which are intimately related to acoustic emission, and its spatial structure in the frequency domain is very organized. The proposed methodology in this paper improves the technique of Prasad and Gaitonde (J Fluid Mech 940:1–11, 2022) in three new ways. First, the solution of the Poisson equation is carried out in the frequency-wavenumber domain instead of the time-space domain, which simplifies and integrates the solution of the Poisson equation within the SPOD framework based on momentum potential fluctuations. Second, the issue of solving the Poisson equation on a finite domain with ad hoc boundary conditions is explicitly addressed, identifying and removing those unphysical harmonic components introduced in the solution process. Third, the solution of the SPOD problem in terms of momentum potential fluctuations is used to reconstruct schlieren SPOD fields associated with each mode, allowing the visualization of the obtained coherent structures also in terms of the density gradient. The method is applied here to schlieren images of a twin-jet configuration with a small jet separation at two supersonic operation conditions: a perfectly-expanded and an overexpanded one. The SPOD modes based on momentum potential fluctuations retain the wavepacket structure including the direct Mach-wave radiation, together with upstream- and downstream-traveling acoustic waves, similar to SPOD modes based on the schlieren images. However, for the same dataset, they result in a lower-rank decomposition than schlieren-based SPOD and provide an effective separation of twin-jet fluctuations into independent toroidal and flapping oscillations that are recovered as different SPOD modes. These coherent structures are more consistent with twin-jet wavepacket models available in the literature than those originally obtained with direct schlieren-based SPOD, facilitating their interpretation and comparison against theoretical analyses. Graphical abstract

The Vertical Structure of Internal Lee-Wave-Driven Benthic Mixing Hotspots

Abstract In global ocean circulation and climate models, bottom-enhanced turbulent mixing is often parameterized such that the vertical decay scale of the energy dissipation rate ζ is universally constant at 500 m. In this study, using a nonhydrostatic two-dimensional numerical model in the horizontal–vertical plane that incorporates a monochromatic sinusoidal seafloor topography and the Garrett–Munk (GM) background internal wave field, we find that ζ of the internal lee-wave-driven bottom-enhanced mixing is actually variable depending on the magnitude of the steady flow U0, the horizontal wavenumber kH, and the height hT of the seafloor topography. When the steepness parameter (Sp = NhT/U0 where N is the buoyancy frequency near the seafloor) is less than 0.3, internal lee waves propagate upward from the seafloor while interacting with the GM internal wave field to create a turbulent mixing region with ζ that extends farther upward from the seafloor as U0 increases, but is nearly independent of kH. In contrast, when Sp exceeds 0.3, inertial oscillations (IOs) not far above the seafloor are enhanced by the intermittent supply of internal lee-wave energy Doppler-shifted to the near-inertial frequency, which occurs depending on the sign and magnitude of the background IO shear. The composite flow, consisting of the superposition of U0 and the IOs, interacts with the seafloor topography to efficiently generate internal lee waves during the period centered on the time of the composite flow maximum, but their upward propagation is inhibited by the increased IO shear, creating a turbulent mixing region of small ζ.

On the preferred flapping motion of round twin jets

Linear stability theory (LST) is often used to model the large-scale flow structures in the turbulent mixing region and near pressure field of high-speed jets. For perfectly expanded single round jets, these models predict the dominance of azimuthal wavenumbers $m=0$ and $m = 1$ helical modes for the lower frequency range, in agreement with empirical data. When LST is applied to twin-jet systems, four solution families appear following the odd/even behaviour of the pressure field about the symmetry planes. The interaction between the unsteady pressure fields of the two jets also results in their coupling. The individual modes of the different solution families no longer correspond to helical motions, but to flapping oscillations of the jet plumes. In the limit of large jet separations, when the jet coupling vanishes, the eigenvalues corresponding to the $m=1$ mode in each family are identical, and a linear combination of them recovers the helical motion. Conversely, as the jet separation decreases, the eigenvalues for the $m=1$ modes of each family diverge, thus favouring a particular flapping oscillation over the others and preventing the appearance of helical motions. The dominant mode of oscillation for a given jet Mach number $M_j$ and temperature ratio $T_R$ depends on the Strouhal number $St$ and jet separation $s$ . Increasing both $M_j$ and $T_R$ independently is found to augment the jet coupling and modify the $(St,s)$ map of the preferred oscillation mode. Present results predict the preference of two modes when the jet interaction is relevant, namely varicose and especially sinuous flapping oscillations on the nozzles’ plane.

Low-Order Mechanistic Models for Volumetric and Temporal Capnography: Development, Validation, and Application.

The airflow model's single "alveolar" compartment has compliance and inertance, and feeds a resistive unperfused airway comprising a laminar-flow region followed by a turbulent-mixing region. The gas-mixing model tracks mixing-region CO 2 concentration, which is fitted breath-by-breath to the measured capnogram, yielding estimates of model parameters that characterize the capnogram. For the 17 examined records (310 breaths) of airflow, airway pressure and Tcap from ventilated adult patients, the models fit closely (mean rmse 1% of end-tidal cŞoncentration on Vcap; 1.7% on Tcap). The associated parameters (4 for Vcap, 5 for Tcap) for each exhalation, and airflow parameters for the corresponding forced inhalation, are robustly estimated, and consonant with each other and literature values. The models also allow, using Tcap alone, estimation of the entire exhaled airflow waveform to within a scaling. This suggests new Tcap-based tests, analogous to spirometry but with normal breathing, for discriminating chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) from congestive heart failure (CHF). A version trained on 15 exhalations from each of 24 COPD/24 CHF Tcap records from one hospital, then tested 100 times with 15 random exhalations from each of 27 COPD/31 CHF Tcap records at another, gave mean accuracy 80.6% (stdev 2.1%). Another version, tested on 29 COPD/32 CHF, yielded AUROC 0.84. Our mechanistic models closely fit Tcap and Vcap measurements, and yield subject-specific parameter estimates. This can inform cardiorespiratory care.

A Computational Examination of Side-by-Side Rotors in Ground Effect

This study investigates the interactional aerodynamics of hovering side-by-side rotors in ground effect. The 5.5-ft diameter, three-bladed fixed-pitched rotors are simulated using computational fluid dynamics at a targeted 5 lb/ft2 disk loading. Simulations are performed using the commercial Navier–Stokes solver, AcuSolve ®, with a delayed detached eddy simulation model. Side-by-side rotors are simulated at two heights above the ground (H/D = 0.5 and H/D = 1), and with two hub–hub separation distances (3R and 2.5R). The performance of side-by-side rotors in ground effect (IGE) is compared to isolated rotors out of ground effect. Between the side-by-side rotors IGE, a highly turbulent mixing region is identified where the wakes of each rotor collide. The flow fountains upwards, as well as exits outwards (along a direction normal to a plane connecting the two rotor hubs) with fountaining between the rotors reaching up to 0.75D above the ground. As blades at H/D = 0.5 traverse the highly turbulent flow, strong vibratory loading is induced and a thrust loss is observed over the outboard sections between the rotors that is large enough to negate any nominal ground effect benefits inboard. Side-by-side rotors at H/D = 0.5 with 2.5R hub–hub spacing produce peak-to-peak thrust oscillations up to 16% of the steady thrust. Rotors placed higher, at H/D = 1 are positioned above the turbulent mixing flow and produce significantly lower vibratory loads. The spacing between rotors at H/D = 0.5 and 3R hub–hub separation allows strong vortical structures to develop between the rotors which move from side to side over multiple revolutions. When the vorticity moves closer to one of the rotors, it produces a greater lift deficit over the outboard region and a stronger vibratory loading. For rotors closer together, at H/D = 0.5 and 2.5R separation, the vortical structures between rotors are constrained to a more concentrated area and show less side-to-side drift.

Ignition of hexane-air mixtures by highly under-expanded hot jets

We report an experimental study of ignition of flammable mixtures by highly unexpanded, supersonic hot jets. The high-pressure, hot-gas reservoir supplying the jet is created by impacting a projectile on a plunger to rapidly compress and ignite a rich n-hexane/air mixture, resulting in a peak reservoir pressure of more than 20 MPa. A locking mechanism was used to prevent the plunger from rebounding and the jet was created by rupturing a diaphragm covering a nozzle with an exit diameter between 0.25 and 1 mm. The jet development and ignition processes in the main chamber filled with hexane-air mixture were visualized using high-speed schlieren and OH* chemiluminescence imaging. The ignition threshold was determined as a function of composition in the jet and main chamber, the nozzle diameter, and the initial pressure in the main chamber. Unlike the case of subsonic jets in which ignition occurs at the shear layer near the nozzle exit, ignition of combustion in the main chamber was found to take place downstream of the Mach disk terminating the supersonic expansion and within the turbulent mixing region created by the startup of the supersonic jet. The results are interpreted using a constant-pressure, well-stirred reactor model simulating the mixing between the hot jet and cold ambient gas. The critical conditions for ignition are determined by the competition between energy release due to chemical reactions initiated by the hot jet gas and cooling due to mixing with the cold chamber atmosphere. The critical value (maximum for which ignition occurs) of the mixing rate was computed using a detailed chemical reaction model and found to be a useful qualitative guide to our observations.

Data‐Driven Identification of Turbulent Oceanic Mixing From Observational Microstructure Data

AbstractCharacterizing how ocean turbulence transports heat is critically important for accurately parameterizing global circulation models. We present a novel data‐driven approach for identifying distinct regions of turbulent mixing within a microstructure data set that uses unsupervised machine learning to cluster fluid patches according to their background buoyancy frequency N, and turbulent dissipation rates of kinetic energy ϵ and thermal variance χ. Applied to data collected near the Velasco Reef in Palau, our clustering algorithm discovers spatial and temporal correlations between the mixing characteristics of a fluid patch and its depth, proximity to the reef and the background current. While much of the data set is characterized by the canonical mixing coefficient Γ = 0.2, elevated local mixing efficiencies are identified in regions containing large density fluxes derived from χ. Once applied to further datasets, unsupervised machine learning has the potential to advance community understanding of global patterns and local characteristics of turbulent mixing.

High-fidelity simulation of a hydraulic jump around a surface-piercing hydrofoil

For a surface-piercing hydrofoil traveling at high speed, a turbulent hydraulic jump may arise at the intersection of the body with the free surface. This hydrodynamic phenomenon involves violent wave breaking, bringing great challenges for experimental analysis. In this work, a high-fidelity large eddy simulation is performed to study the turbulent air-entraining flow near foil. One advantage of the present simulation is that a quantitative analysis can be implemented even in the turbulent two-phase mixing region containing a large amount of entrained air, which is difficult for traditional experimental and theoretical approaches. We employ a conservative coupled level set/volume-of-fluid scheme to capture the free surface. A highly robust scheme is introduced to guarantee stability in simulating large density ratio two-phase flows. The present method is implemented based on a block-structured adaptive mesh, by which the efficiency of the high-fidelity simulation can be improved. The main flow features of the wedge-shaped hydraulic jump, including the wave patterns, free surface elevation, and frequency spectra, are compared with experimental data. We find that the flow structures show clear differences from those found in the canonical hydraulic jump, owing to the presence of the foil surface. Shoulder wave breaking starts at the trough of the mid-body, develops in a wedge shape, depends strongly on Froude number, and is responsible for most of the large-scale air entrainment. The properties of the turbulent hydraulic jump and some of the key quantities characterizing the air-entraining flow, including the spatial distribution of the bubble cloud, the void fraction, and the bubble/droplet size spectrum, are fully investigated for typical Froude numbers.

A direct numerical simulation study of skewed three-dimensional spatially evolving compressible mixing layer

The turbulent flow of spatially developing and high-speed hydrogen/air mixing layers subject to small skew angle ζ is systematically investigated by means of direct numerical simulation. The present database features both detailed chemistry and detailed transport (i.e., Soret, Dufour, and bulk viscosity effects). The angle ζ measures the misalignment of the two asymptotic streams of fluid, whose interaction creates the turbulent mixing region. Numerical simulations have been carried out either in the absence of skewing, namely, perfectly parallel streams (ζ=0°), or in skew angles ζ=5°, 10°, and 15°. The streamwise evolution and the self-similar state of turbulence statistics of skewed cases are reported and compared to the unskewed and reference case. The present computations indicate that the transitional region and the fully developed turbulence region depends strongly on the degree of flow skewing at the inlet. In particular, we find that skewing yields faster growth of the inlet structures, thus leading to mixing enhancement. The underlying mechanisms responsible for turbulence modulation are analyzed through the transport equation of the Reynolds stresses. One possible perspective of the present work concerns the mixing control and a reliable comparison between the experiment, simulations, and turbulence modeling.

Experimental investigation of turbulent characteristics in pore-scale regions of porous media

The study of flow dynamics in porous media or randomly packed beds is essential because these systems are commonly applied in a wide array of engineering applications, such as thermal energy storage, catalytic reactors for processing and distillation, oil recovery, fuel cells, and pebble bed nuclear reactor cores. The flow mixing and turbulence characteristics in pore-scale regions of an experimental facility composed of randomly packed spheres with an aspect ratio of 4.4 were experimentally investigated in this study. Velocity measurements at several pores in the test facility were conducted by combining the matched-index-of-refraction and time-resolved particle image velocimetry techniques, and these measurements were performed at Reynolds numbers of 490, 1023, and 1555. The results obtained from the velocity measurements in the pore regions revealed different and complex flow patterns depending on the pore geometries. In pore region 1, it was found that a strong axial flow entered the pore and impinged into the sphere’s surface when it encountered another flow entering laterally. These dynamic interactions created a high level of turbulent mixing, a recirculation flow region, and a shear layer, as observed in the computed statistical results for $$u^{\prime }_\mathrm{{rms}}$$ , $$v^{\prime }_\mathrm{{rms}}$$ , and $$u^{\prime }v^{\prime }$$ . In other pore regions, the flow field results exhibited complex interactions among jet flows discharging into the pores from various flow gaps created by neighboring spheres. These mutual interactions between the entering jet flows were found to create highly turbulent mixing regions at the pore’ centers and low-velocity or stagnation-flow regions in the vicinity of the sphere surfaces. Flapping shear layers were also observed when two jet flows with unequal strengths entered the pores. The characteristics of turbulent flow mixing in different pore regions were investigated via the spatiotemporal two-point correlation of fluctuating velocities along the velocity streamlines. This approach mitigated the constraints of the random geometries of pore regions on the extent of spatial separation lengths in the two-point velocity correlations. Using this approach, spatial distributions of integral length scales and convection velocities were estimated along the streamlines within the random geometries of pore regions. It was found that the estimated values of the integral length scales and convection velocities were spatially dependent on the localized flow characteristics within the pores. The integral length scales were found to be less than $$0.4D_\mathrm{{sp}}$$ , experimentally confirming the pore-scale prevalence hypothesis that turbulent structures in porous media are restricted by the pore sizes. In addition, the ratio of the convection velocity to the interstitial velocity (or local velocity magnitude) decreased as the Reynolds number increased.

Kinetic energy and enstrophy transfer in compressible Rayleigh–Taylor turbulence

Abstract

Density stratification breakup by a vertical jet: Experimental and numerical investigation on the effect of dynamic change of turbulent schmidt number

The hydrogen behavior in a nuclear containment vessel is one of the significant issues raised when discussing the potential of hydrogen combustion during a severe accident. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is a powerful tool for better understanding the turbulence transport behavior of a gas mixture, including hydrogen. Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) is a practical-use approach for simulating the averaged gaseous behavior in a large and complicated geometry, such as a nuclear containment vessel; however, some improvements are required. In this paper, we focused on the turbulent Schmidt number Sct for improving the RANS accuracy. Some previous studies on ocean engineering mentioned that the Sct value gradually increases with the increasing stratification strength. We implemented the dynamic modeling for Sct based on the previous studies into the OpenFOAM ver 2.3.1 package. The experimental data obtained by using a small scale test apparatus at Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) was used to validate the RANS methodology. In the experiment, we measured the velocity field around the interaction region between vertical jet and stratification by using the Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) system and time transient of gas concentration by using the Quadrupole Mass Spectrometer (QMS) system. Moreover, Large-Eddy Simulation (LES) was performed to phenomenologically discuss the interaction behavior. The comparison study indicated that the turbulence production ratio by shear stress and buoyancy force predicted by the RANS with the dynamic modeling for Sct was a better agreement with the LES result, and the gradual decay of the turbulence fluctuation in the stratification was predicted accurately. The time transient of the helium molar fraction in the case with the dynamic modeling was very closed to the VIMES experimental data. The improvement on the RANS accuracy was produced by the accurate prediction of the turbulent mixing region, which was explained with the turbulent helium mass flux in the interaction region. Moreover, the parametric study on the jet velocity indicates the good performance of the RANS with the dynamic modeling for Sct on the slower erosive process. This study concludes that the dynamic modeling for Sct is a useful and practical approach to improve the prediction accuracy.

Numerical investigation of skewed spatially evolving mixing layers

The sensitivity of turbulent dynamics in spatially evolving mixing layers to small skew angles is investigated via direct numerical simulation. Angle is a measure of the lack of parallelism between the two asymptotic flows, whose interaction creates the turbulent mixing region. The analysis is performed considering a large range of values of the shear intensity parameter . This two-dimensional parameter space is explored using the results of a database of 18 direct numerical simulations. Instantaneous fields as well as time-averaged quantities are investigated, highlighting important mechanisms in the emergence of turbulence and its characteristics for this class of flows. In addition, a stochastic approach is used in which and are considered as random variables with a given probability distribution. The response surfaces of flow statistics in the parameter space are built through non-intrusive generalized polynomial chaos. It is found that variations of the parameter have a primary effect on the growth of the mixing region. A secondary effect associated with is observed as well. Higher values for the skew angle are responsible for a rapid increase in growth of the inlet structures, enhancing the development of the mixing region. The impact on the turbulence features and, in particular, on the Reynolds stress tensor is also significant. A modification of the normalized diagonal components of the Reynolds stress tensor due to is observed. In addition, the interaction between the parameters and is here the governing element.

Characteristics of the turbulent energy dissipation rate in a cylinder wake

This work aims to improve our understanding of the turbulent energy dissipation rate in the wake of a circular cylinder. Ten of the twelve velocity derivative terms which make up the energy dissipation rate are simultaneously obtained with a probe composed of four X-wires. Measurements are made in the plane of mean shear at$x/d=10$, 20 and 40, where$x$is the streamwise distance from the cylinder axis and$d$is the cylinder diameter, at a Reynolds number of$2.5\times 10^{3}$based on$d$and free-stream velocity. Both statistical and topological features of the velocity derivatives as well as the energy dissipation rate, approximated by a surrogate based on the assumption of homogeneity in the transverse plane, are examined. The spectra of the velocity derivatives indicate that local axisymmetry is first satisfied at higher wavenumbers while the departure at lower wavenumbers is caused by the Kármán vortex street. The spectral method proposed by Djenidi & Antonia (Exp. Fluids, vol. 53, 2012, pp. 1005–1013) based on the universality of the dissipation range of the longitudinal velocity spectrum normalized by the Kolmogorov scales also applies in the present flow despite the strong perturbation from the Kármán vortex street and violation of local isotropy at small$x/d$. The appropriateness of the spectral chart method is consistent with Antoniaet al.’s (Phys. Fluids, vol. 26, 2014, 45105) observation that the two major assumptions in Kolmogorov’s first similarity hypothesis, i.e. very large Taylor microscale Reynolds number and local isotropy, can be significantly relaxed. The data also indicate that vorticity spectra are more sensitive, when testing the first similarity hypothesis, than velocity spectra. They also reveal that the velocity derivatives$\unicode[STIX]{x2202}u/\unicode[STIX]{x2202}y$and$\unicode[STIX]{x2202}v/\unicode[STIX]{x2202}x$play an important role in the interaction between large and small scales in the present flow. The phase-averaged data indicate that the energy dissipation is concentrated mostly within the coherent spanwise vortex rollers, in contrast with the model of Hussain (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 173, 1986, pp. 303–356) and Hussain & Hayakawa (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 180, 1987, p. 193), who conjectured that it resides mainly in regions of strong turbulent mixing.

Shock wave interaction with a thermal layer produced by a plasma sheet actuator

This paper explores the phenomena associated with pulsed discharge energy deposition in the near-surface gas layer in front of a shock wave from the flow control perspective. The energy is deposited in 200 ns by a high-current distributed sliding discharge of a ‘plasma sheet’ type. The discharge, covering an area of mm2, is mounted on the top or bottom wall of a shock tube channel. In order to analyse the time scales of the pulsed discharge effect on an unsteady supersonic flow, we consider the propagation of a planar shock wave along the discharge surface area 50–500 μs after the discharge pulse. The processes in the discharge chamber are visualized experimentally using the shadowgraph method and modelled numerically using 2D/3D CFD simulations. The interaction between the planar shock wave and the discharge-induced thermal layer results in the formation of a lambda-shock configuration and the generation of vorticity in the flow behind the shock front. We determine the amount and spatial distribution of the electric energy rapidly transforming into heat by comparing the calculated flow patterns and the experimental shadow images. It is shown that the uniformity of the discharge energy distribution strongly affects the resulting flow dynamics. Regions of turbulent mixing in the near-surface gas are detected when the discharge energy is deposited non-uniformly along the plasma sheet. They account for the increase in the cooling rate of the discharge-induced thermal layer and significantly influence its interaction with an incident shock wave.

Physical oceanographic modeling of the inner Continental Shelf

The nowcast and forecast of the marine environment in the shallow waters (0—20m depth) adjacent to the coast, the inner shelf, is important for the development of acoustic surveillance systems. These waters are among the most challenging marine environments in the world because they are subject to the combined geometrical constraints of irregular coastlines and highly variable bathymetry, and are forced both by a complex array of tidal, wind, and buoyancy forces on a broad range of space/time scales. Their proximity to the deeper waters flowing offshore introduces another array of complex sets of forcing. The resulting circulation patterns include both persistent and time-variable fronts, intense currents with strong spatial (offshore and/or vertical) dependence, waves, internally generated variability, large horizontal water mass contrasts, strong vertical stratification, and regions of intense turbulent mixing in both surface and bottom boundary layers. Frequently, the interplay between these multiple forcing mechanisms, geographic detail, stratification, and nonlinear dynamics, is significant, and this demands that a physically sophisticated coastal ocean model be capable of representing a comprehensive suite of dynamical processes. Drawing on the operational shallow water New York Harbor Observing and Prediction System (NYHOPS), we illustrate, by example, the breadth of dynamical processes that influence near coastal ocean circulation.

Efficient mixing in stratified flows: experimental study of a Rayleigh–Taylor unstable interface within an otherwise stable stratification

AbstractBoussinesq salt-water laboratory experiments of Rayleigh–Taylor instability (RTI) can achieve mixing efficiencies greater than 0.75 when the unstable interface is confined between two stable stratifications. This is much greater than that found when RTI occurs between two homogeneous layers when the mixing efficiency has been found to approach 0.5. Here, the mixing efficiency is defined as the ratio of energy used in mixing compared with the energy available for mixing. If the initial and final states are quiescent then the mixing efficiency can be calculated from experiments by comparison of the corresponding density profiles. Varying the functional form of the confining stratifications has a strong effect on the mixing efficiency. We derive a buoyancy-diffusion model for the rate of growth of the turbulent mixing region,$\def \xmlpi #1{}\def \mathsfbi #1{\boldsymbol {\mathsf {#1}}}\let \le =\leqslant \let \leq =\leqslant \let \ge =\geqslant \let \geq =\geqslant \def \Pr {\mathit {Pr}}\def \Fr {\mathit {Fr}}\def \Rey {\mathit {Re}}\dot{h} = 2 \sqrt{\alpha A g h}$(where$A = A(h)$is the Atwood number across the mixing region when it extends a height$h$,$g$is acceleration due to gravity and$\alpha $is a constant). This model shows good agreement with experiments when the value of the constant$\alpha $is set to 0.07, the value found in experiments of RTI between two homogeneous layers (where the height of the turbulent mixing region increases as$h =\alpha A g t^2$, an expression which is equivalent to that derived for$\dot{h}$).

Wind and thermodynamic profiler observations of a late-mature gust front

High temporal and vertical resolutions of kinematic and thermodynamic characteristics of a late-mature gust front are presented using the Mobile Integrated Profiling System and Weather Surveillance Radar 88 Doppler data. As the gust front passed over the Mobile Integrated Profiling System vertical velocities and the horizontal wind field with 1 and 1.5 min temporal resolutions, respectively, were sampled within the gust front updrafts, gust frontal head and body structures. A 12-channel microwave profiling radiometer was used to delineate the thermodynamic properties with 5–6 min temporal and 100 m vertical resolution. Lidar backscatter from the 0.906 $\upmu$ m ceilometer was also used to demonstrate the cloud field and the gust front depth. The gust front structurally and dynamically resembled laboratory simulated density current, and was composed of an elevated forward protrusion of a nose, and a turbulent mixing region at the top behind the head. The updrafts associated with the gust front that was moving into a stable layer were not surface rooted. Rather, the updrafts less than 3.5 ms − 1 were observed 500 m above ground level during the gust front passage. These updrafts were present from above the nose level to top of the head. The observations indicated that kinematic and thermodynamic characteristics of the atmospheric boundary layer significantly influenced the propagation speed, updraft characteristics, and overall structural organization of the gust front. The observations validated that observed propagation speed of the gust front was in close agreement with the calculated propagation speed by integrating the buoyancy term within the gust front depth.