Stratified flow over topography: Models versus observations
Document Type
Article
Date of Original Version
12-8-2001
Abstract
Essential mechanisms identified in the authors' observations of flow establishment over topography are restated, with emphasis on those which are at variance with numerical simulations. Specifically, small-scale instabilities were observed to lead to upwards transport of fluid from the primary flow so as to form a nearly stationary intermediate layer, and boundary-layer separation significantly delays establishment of the downslope flow. Simulations that force the streamlines to follow the topography generate a large-amplitude breaking wave, which we did not observe. Our observations show that small-scale instability and separation act in concert to determine the time-dependent evolution of the stratified flow response.
Publication Title, e.g., Journal
Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences
Volume
457
Issue
2016
Citation/Publisher Attribution
Farmer, D. M., and L. Armi. "Stratified flow over topography: Models versus observations." Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences 457, 2016 (2001). doi: 10.1098/rspa.2001.0802.