Thomas von Larcher & Paul Williams 
Modeling Atmospheric and Oceanic Flows 
Insights from Laboratory Experiments and Numerical Simulations

Modeling Atmospheric and Oceanic Flows: Insights from Laboratory Experiments and Numerical Simulations provides a broad overview of recent progress in using laboratory experiments and numerical simulations to model atmospheric and oceanic fluid motions. This volume not only surveys novel research topics in laboratory experimentation, but also highlights recent developments in the corresponding computational simulations. As computing power grows exponentially and better numerical codes are developed, the interplay between numerical simulations and laboratory experiments is gaining paramount importance within the scientific community. The lessons learnt from the laboratory-model comparisons in this volume will act as a source of inspiration for the next generation of experiments and simulations. Volume highlights include:

* Topics pertaining to atmospheric science, climate physics, physical oceanography, marine geology and geophysics

* Overview of the most advanced experimental and computational research in geophysics

* Recent developments in numerical simulations of atmospheric and oceanic fluid motion

* Unique comparative analysis of the experimental and numerical approaches to modeling fluid flow

Modeling Atmospheric and Oceanic Flows will be a valuable resource for graduate students, researchers, and professionals in the fields of geophysics, atmospheric sciences, oceanography, climate science, hydrology, and experimental geosciences.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Contributors vii

Preface xi

Acknowledgments xiii

Introduction: Simulations of Natural Flows in the Laboratory and
on a Computer 1

Paul F Linden

Section I: Baroclinic-Driven Flows

1 General Circulation of Planetary Atmospheres: Insights from
Rotating Annulus and Related Experiments

9

Peter L Read, Edgar P Pérez, Irene M Moroz, and Roland M B
Young

2 Primary Flow Transitions in the Baroclinic Annulus: Prandtl
Number Effects 45

Gregory M Lewis, Nicolas Périnet, and Lennaert van
Veen

3 Amplitude Vacillation in Baroclinic Flows 61

Wolf-Gerrit Früh

Section II: Balanced and Unbalanced Flows

4 Rotation Effects on Wall-Bounded Flows: Some Laboratory
Experiments 85

P Henrik Alfredsson and Rebecca J Lingwood

5 Altimetry in a GFD Laboratory and Flows on the Polar
beta-Plane 101

Yakov D Afanasyev

6 Instabilities of Shallow-Water Flows with Vertical Shear in
the Rotating Annulus 119

Jonathan Gula and Vladimir Zeitlin

7 Laboratory Experiments on Flows Over Bottom Topography
139

Luis Zavala Sansón and Gert-Jan van Heijst

8 Direct Numerical Simulations of Laboratory-Scale Stratified
Turbulence 159

Michael LWaite

Section III: Atmospheric Flows

9 Numerical Simulation (DNS, LES) of Geophysical Laboratory
Experiments: Quasi-Biennial Oscillation (QBO) Analogue and
Simulations Toward Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) Analogue
179

Nils PWedi

10 Internal Waves in Laboratory Experiments 193

Bruce Sutherland, Thierry Dauxois, and Thomas
Peacock

11 Frontal Instabilities at Density-Shear Interfaces in
Rotating Two-Layer Stratified Fluids 213

Hélène Scolan, Roberto Verzicco, and Jan-Bert
Flór

Section IV: Oceanic Flows

12 Large-Amplitude Coastal Shelf Waves 231

Andrew L Stewart, Paul J Dellar, and Edward R
Johnson

13 Laboratory Experiments With Abrupt Thermohaline Transitions
and Oscillations 255

John A Whitehead

14 Oceanic Island Wake Flows in the Laboratory 265

Alexandre Stegner

Section V: Advances in Methodology

15 Lagrangian Methods in Experimental Fluid Mechanics 279

Mickael Bourgoin, Jean-François Pinton, and Romain
Volk

16 A High-Resolution Method for Direct Numerical Simulation of
Instabilities and Transitions in a Baroclinic Cavity 297

Anthony Randriamampianina and Emilia Crespo del
Arco

17 Orthogonal Decomposition Methods to Analyze PIV, LDV, and
Thermography Data of Thermally Driven Rotating Annulus Laboratory
Experiments 315

Uwe Harlander, Thomas von Larcher, Grady BWright, Michael Hoff,
Kiril Alexandrov, and Christoph Egbers

Index 337

Über den Autor

Thomas Gerd Von Larcher is a researcher in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Sciences, Institute for Mathematics at Free University, Berlin, Germany. He completed his doctorate in Engineering Technology. He has authored a few research articles and book chapters. His research interests include finite element method, fluid mechanics, computational fluid dynamics, computational physics, heat transfer, oceanography, fluid flow, numerical modeling.

Paul D Williams is a Royal Society University Research Fellow at the University of Reading, in the Department of Meteorology and the National Centre for Atmospheric Science. He is at the Readership grade. He has authored over 80 research articles including a recent publication in Nature Climate Change. His research interests include studying the atmosphere and ocean, and their role in weather and climate, using mathematical and numerical models and laboratory experiments. He is also currently the Editor of Geophysical Research Letters.