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Boundary Layer Processes in Geophysical/Environmental Flows
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Boundary Layer Processes in Geophysical/Environmental Flows

A special issue of Fluids (ISSN 2311-5521). This special issue belongs to the section "Geophysical and Environmental Fluid Mechanics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2023) | Viewed by 30642

Printed Edition Available!
A printed edition of this Special Issue is available here.

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Joseph Kuehl

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Mechanical Engineering Department, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
Interests: geophysical/environmental fluid dynamics; hypersonic flow; boundary layer stability; transition to turbulence; time-series analysis
Dr. Pengfei Xue

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI 49931, USA
Interests: hydrodynamic modeling; regional climate modeling; coupled ocean/lake-atmosphere modeling and dynamics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Fabrice Veron

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
School of Marine Science and Policy, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
Interests: air-sea interactions; wave breaking; airflow over waves; sea spray

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Boundary layer processes play a crucial role in establishing circulation patterns of the oceans and atmosphere, significantly affecting both regional climates and the global climate, as well as the distributions of heat, nutrients, species, pollutants, and more. This Special Issue of Fluids is dedicated to recent advances in the theoretical, numerical, observational (including instrumentation development), and experimental investigation of geophysical/environmental boundary layer processes and how those process may influence regional and global circulation.  Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, air–sea interactions and fluxes (including the influence of sea-ice), western and eastern boundary currents, bottom boundary processes (including complex topography interactions, sediment motion), and internal boundary layers (such as fronts, shear layers, and thermocline processes).

Prof. Dr. Joseph Kuehl
Dr. PengFei Xue
Dr. Fabrice Veron
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Fluids is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • air–sea interactions
  • western/eastern boundary currents
  • bottom boundary layer processes
  • sea-ice cover
  • air–sea flux
  • layered/stratified systems
  • fluid stability

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Published Papers (11 papers)

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Editorial

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5 pages, 198 KiB  
Editorial
Editorial Summary: Boundary Layer Processes in Geophysical/Environmental Flows
by Joseph Kuehl
Fluids 2023, 8(10), 279; https://doi.org/10.3390/fluids8100279 - 19 Oct 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1807
Abstract
Boundary layer processes play a crucial role in establishing the circulation patterns of the oceans and atmosphere, significantly affecting both regional and global climate, as well as the distributions of heat, nutrients, species, pollutants and more [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Boundary Layer Processes in Geophysical/Environmental Flows)

Research

Jump to: Editorial

16 pages, 914 KiB  
Article
Exact Solutions of Navier–Stokes Equations for Quasi-Two-Dimensional Flows with Rayleigh Friction
by Natalya Burmasheva, Sergey Ershkov, Evgeniy Prosviryakov and Dmytro Leshchenko
Fluids 2023, 8(4), 123; https://doi.org/10.3390/fluids8040123 - 3 Apr 2023
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2630
Abstract
To solve the problems of geophysical hydrodynamics, it is necessary to integrally take into account the unevenness of the bottom and the free boundary for a large-scale flow of a viscous incompressible fluid. The unevenness of the bottom can be taken into account [...] Read more.
To solve the problems of geophysical hydrodynamics, it is necessary to integrally take into account the unevenness of the bottom and the free boundary for a large-scale flow of a viscous incompressible fluid. The unevenness of the bottom can be taken into account by setting a new force in the Navier–Stokes equations (the Rayleigh friction force). For solving problems of geophysical hydrodynamics, the velocity field is two-dimensional. In fact, a model representation of a thin (bottom) baroclinic layer is used. Analysis of such flows leads to the redefinition of the system of equations. A compatibility condition is constructed, the fulfillment of which guarantees the existence of a nontrivial solution of the overdetermined system under consideration. A non-trivial exact solution of the overdetermined system is found in the class of Lin–Sidorov–Aristov exact solutions. In this case, the flow velocities are described by linear forms from horizontal (longitudinal) coordinates. Several variants of the pressure representation that do not contradict the form of the equation system are considered. The article presents an algebraic condition for the existence of a non-trivial exact solution with functional arbitrariness for the Lin–Sidorov–Aristov class. The isobaric and gradient flows of a viscous incompressible fluid are considered in detail. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Boundary Layer Processes in Geophysical/Environmental Flows)
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23 pages, 27597 KiB  
Article
Dynamical Filtering Highlights the Seasonality of Surface-Balanced Motions at Diurnal Scales in the Eastern Boundary Currents
by Antonio Quintana, Hector S. Torres and Jose Gomez-Valdes
Fluids 2022, 7(8), 271; https://doi.org/10.3390/fluids7080271 - 8 Aug 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2478
Abstract
Balanced motions (BM) and internal gravity waves (IGW) account for most of the kinetic energy budget and capture most of the vertical velocity in the ocean. However, estimating the contribution of BM to both issues at time scales of less than a day [...] Read more.
Balanced motions (BM) and internal gravity waves (IGW) account for most of the kinetic energy budget and capture most of the vertical velocity in the ocean. However, estimating the contribution of BM to both issues at time scales of less than a day is a challenge because BM are obscured by IGW. To study the BM regime, we outlined the implementation of a dynamical filter that separates both classes of motion. This study used a high-resolution global simulation to analyze the Eastern Boundary Currents during the winter and summer months. Our results confirm the feasibility of recovering BM dynamics at short time scales, emphasizing the diurnal cycle in winter and its dampening in summer due to local stratification that prevents large vertical excursion of the surface boundary layer. Our filter opens up new possibilities for more accurate estimation of the vertical exchanges of any tracers at any vertical level in the water column. Moreover, it could be a valuable tool for studies focused on wave–turbulence interactions in ocean simulations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Boundary Layer Processes in Geophysical/Environmental Flows)
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14 pages, 13194 KiB  
Article
Influence of Turbulence Effects on the Runup of Tsunami Waves on the Shore within the Framework of the Navier–Stokes Equations
by Andrey Kozelkov, Elena Tyatyushkina, Vadim Kurulin and Andrey Kurkin
Fluids 2022, 7(3), 117; https://doi.org/10.3390/fluids7030117 - 20 Mar 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2419
Abstract
This paper considers turbulence effects on tsunami runup on the shore in tsunami simulations using the system of three-dimensional Navier–Stokes equations. The turbulence effects in tsunami propagation and runup are studied by solving the problem of a wave propagating in a nonuniform-bottom pool [...] Read more.
This paper considers turbulence effects on tsunami runup on the shore in tsunami simulations using the system of three-dimensional Navier–Stokes equations. The turbulence effects in tsunami propagation and runup are studied by solving the problem of a wave propagating in a nonuniform-bottom pool and collapsing with a barrier. To solve this problem, we used the turbulence model, RANS SST (Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes shear stress transport). We compared the wave profiles at different times during wave propagation, runup, and collapse. To quantify the turbulence effects, we also compared the forces acting on the basin bottom. We demonstrated that the turbulence had almost no effect on the shape of the wave and the way of its propagation (except collapse). However, turbulence effects during the runup and collapse became noticeable and could boost the flow (increasing the pressure force and the total force) by up to 25 percent. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Boundary Layer Processes in Geophysical/Environmental Flows)
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14 pages, 2711 KiB  
Article
Interannual Bottom-Intensified Current Thickening Observed on the Continental Slope Off the Southeastern Coast of Hokkaido, Japan
by Akira Nagano, Takuya Hasegawa, Keisuke Ariyoshi and Hiroyuki Matsumoto
Fluids 2022, 7(2), 84; https://doi.org/10.3390/fluids7020084 - 19 Feb 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2725
Abstract
By rotary empirical orthogonal function and coastal-trapped wave mode analyses, we analyzed current velocity data, collected from 2001 to 2016. The data were obtained by an acoustic Doppler current profiler, deployed upward at a location of 41°39.909′ N, 144°20.695′ E, on a 2630-m [...] Read more.
By rotary empirical orthogonal function and coastal-trapped wave mode analyses, we analyzed current velocity data, collected from 2001 to 2016. The data were obtained by an acoustic Doppler current profiler, deployed upward at a location of 41°39.909′ N, 144°20.695′ E, on a 2630-m deep continental slope seabed off the southeastern coast of Hokkaido, Japan. The results indicate that the current intensifies toward the bottom and is directed nearly toward the shore, reaching an average speed of ~2.5 cm s−1 just above the bottom. The thickness of the along-slope northward component of the bottom-intensified current varied within the range of 50–350 m. We found that the current thickness change was caused by oceanic barotropic disturbances, produced by the intensification of the Aleutian Low, largely related to the El Niño–Southern Oscillation and modified through the excitation of bottom-trapped modes of coastal-trapped waves. This finding improves the prediction accuracy of the the bottom-intensified current change, being beneficial for suspended sediment studies, construction and maintenance of marine structures, planning of deep drilling, and so on. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Boundary Layer Processes in Geophysical/Environmental Flows)
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12 pages, 1112 KiB  
Article
Note on the Bulk Estimate of the Energy Dissipation Rate in the Oceanic Bottom Boundary Layer
by Xiaozhou Ruan
Fluids 2022, 7(2), 82; https://doi.org/10.3390/fluids7020082 - 18 Feb 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2863
Abstract
The dissipation of the kinetic energy (KE) associated with oceanic flows is believed to occur primarily in the oceanic bottom boundary layer (BBL), where bottom drag converts the KE from mean flows to heat loss through irreversible mixing at molecular scales. Due to [...] Read more.
The dissipation of the kinetic energy (KE) associated with oceanic flows is believed to occur primarily in the oceanic bottom boundary layer (BBL), where bottom drag converts the KE from mean flows to heat loss through irreversible mixing at molecular scales. Due to the practical difficulties associated with direct observations on small-scale turbulence close to the seafloor, most up-to-date estimates on bottom drag rely on a simple bulk formula (CdU3) proposed by G.I. Taylor that relates the integrated BBL dissipation rate to a drag coefficient (Cd) as well as a flow magnitude outside of the BBL (U). Using output from several turbulence-resolving direct numerical simulations, it is shown that the true BBL-integrated dissipation rate is approximately 90% of that estimated using the classic bulk formula, applied here to the simplest scenario where a mean flow is present over a flat and hydrodynamically smooth bottom. It is further argued that Taylor’s formula only provides an upper bound estimate and should be applied with caution in the future quantification of BBL dissipation; the performance of the bulk formula depends on the distribution of velocity and shear stress near the bottom, which, in the real ocean, could be disrupted by bottom roughness. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Boundary Layer Processes in Geophysical/Environmental Flows)
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11 pages, 2252 KiB  
Article
Effect of the Coastline Geometry on the Boundary Currents Intruding through the Gap
by Joseph Kuehl and Vitalii A. Sheremet
Fluids 2022, 7(2), 71; https://doi.org/10.3390/fluids7020071 - 8 Feb 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2154
Abstract
The problem of a geophysical western boundary current negotiating a gap in its supporting boundary is considered. For traditional straight, parallel gaps, such systems are known to exhibit two dominant states, gap penetrating and leaping, with the transitional dynamics between states displaying hysteresis. [...] Read more.
The problem of a geophysical western boundary current negotiating a gap in its supporting boundary is considered. For traditional straight, parallel gaps, such systems are known to exhibit two dominant states, gap penetrating and leaping, with the transitional dynamics between states displaying hysteresis. However, for more complex geometries, such as angled or offset gap configurations, the question of multiple states and hysteresis is unresolved. In such cases, the inertia of the western boundary current is oriented into the gap, hence the assumption that increased inertia promotes gap penetrating loop current states. Here we address the problem numerically in an idealized setting. It is found that despite the inertia of the current being directed into the gap, for large western boundary current transport values, leaping states will be present. That is, we show here that the presence of multiple states with hysteresis for gap-leaping western boundary current systems is robust to both angled and offset gap geometries. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Boundary Layer Processes in Geophysical/Environmental Flows)
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16 pages, 7453 KiB  
Article
The Impacts of Gustiness on Air–Sea Momentum Flux
by Meng Lyu, Henry Potter and Clarence O. Collins
Fluids 2021, 6(10), 336; https://doi.org/10.3390/fluids6100336 - 22 Sep 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2608
Abstract
The exchange of momentum across the air–sea boundary is an integral component of the earth system and its parametrization is essential for climate and weather models. This study focuses on the impact of gustiness on the momentum flux using three months of direct [...] Read more.
The exchange of momentum across the air–sea boundary is an integral component of the earth system and its parametrization is essential for climate and weather models. This study focuses on the impact of gustiness on the momentum flux using three months of direct flux observations from a moored surface buoy. Gustiness, which quantifies the fluctuations of wind speed and direction, is shown to impact air–sea momentum fluxes. First, we put forward a new gustiness formula that simultaneously evaluates the impact of fluctuations in wind direction and speed. A critical threshold is established using a cumulative density function to classify runs as either gusty or non-gusty. We find that, during runs classified as gusty, the aerodynamic drag coefficient is increased up to 57% when compared to their non-gusty counterparts. This is caused by a correlated increase in vertical fluctuations during gusty conditions and explains variability in the drag coefficient for wind speeds up to 20 m/s. This increase in energy is connected with horizontal fluctuations through turbulent interactions between peaks in the turbulent spectra coincident with peaks in the wave spectra. We discus two potential mechanistic explanations. The results of this study will help improve the representation of gustiness in momentum flux parameterizations leading to more accurate ocean models. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Boundary Layer Processes in Geophysical/Environmental Flows)
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28 pages, 2077 KiB  
Article
Moored Flux and Dissipation Estimates from the Northern Deepwater Gulf of Mexico
by Kurt L. Polzin, Binbin Wang, Zhankun Wang, Fred Thwaites and Albert J. Williams III
Fluids 2021, 6(7), 237; https://doi.org/10.3390/fluids6070237 - 30 Jun 2021
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 2698
Abstract
Results from a pilot program to assess boundary mixing processes along the northern continental slope of the Gulf of Mexico are presented. We report a novel attempt to utilize a turbulence flux sensor on a conventional mooring. These data document many of the [...] Read more.
Results from a pilot program to assess boundary mixing processes along the northern continental slope of the Gulf of Mexico are presented. We report a novel attempt to utilize a turbulence flux sensor on a conventional mooring. These data document many of the features expected of a stratified Ekman layer: a buoyancy anomaly over a height less than that of the unstratified Ekman layer and an enhanced turning of the velocity vector with depth. Turbulent stress estimates have an appropriate magnitude and are aligned with the near-bottom velocity vector. However, the Ekman layer is time dependent on inertial-diurnal time scales. Cross slope momentum and temperature fluxes have significant contributions from this frequency band. Collocated turbulent kinetic energy dissipation and temperature variance dissipation estimates imply a dissipation ratio of 0.14 that is not sensibly different from canonical values for shear instability (0.2). This mixing signature is associated with production in the internal wave band rather than frequencies associated with turbulent shear production. Our results reveal that the expectation of a quasi-stationary response to quasi-stationary forcing in the guise of eddy variability is naive and a boundary layer structure that does not support recent theoretical assumptions concerning one-dimensional models of boundary mixing. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Boundary Layer Processes in Geophysical/Environmental Flows)
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19 pages, 6303 KiB  
Article
Direct Numerical Simulation of Sediment Transport in Turbulent Open Channel Flow Using the Lattice Boltzmann Method
by Liangquan Hu, Zhiqiang Dong, Cheng Peng and Lian-Ping Wang
Fluids 2021, 6(6), 217; https://doi.org/10.3390/fluids6060217 - 9 Jun 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3908
Abstract
The lattice Boltzmann method is employed to conduct direct numerical simulations of turbulent open channel flows with the presence of finite-size spherical sediment particles. The uniform particles have a diameter of approximately 18 wall units and a density of [...] Read more.
The lattice Boltzmann method is employed to conduct direct numerical simulations of turbulent open channel flows with the presence of finite-size spherical sediment particles. The uniform particles have a diameter of approximately 18 wall units and a density of ρp=2.65ρf, where ρp and ρf are the particle and fluid densities, respectively. Three low particle volume fractions ϕ=0.11%, 0.22%, and 0.44% are used to investigate the particle-turbulence interactions. Simulation results indicate that particles are found to result in a more isotropic distribution of fluid turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) among different velocity components, and a more homogeneous distribution of the fluid TKE in the wall-normal direction. Particles tend to accumulate in the near-wall region due to the settling effect and they preferentially reside in low-speed streaks. The vertical particle volume fraction profiles are self-similar when normalized by the total particle volume fractions. Moreover, several typical transport modes of the sediment particles, such as resuspension, saltation, and rolling, are captured by tracking the trajectories of particles. Finally, the vertical profiles of particle concentration are shown to be consistent with a kinetic model. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Boundary Layer Processes in Geophysical/Environmental Flows)
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34 pages, 22843 KiB  
Article
Flow Past Mound-Bearing Impact Craters: An Experimental Study
by Diego Gundersen, Gianluca Blois and Kenneth T. Christensen
Fluids 2021, 6(6), 216; https://doi.org/10.3390/fluids6060216 - 9 Jun 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2625
Abstract
An experimental investigation into the flow produced by mound-bearing impact craters is reported herein. Both an idealized crater and a scaled model of a real martian crater are examined. Measurements were performed using high-resolution planar particle image velocimetry (PIV) in a refractive-index matching [...] Read more.
An experimental investigation into the flow produced by mound-bearing impact craters is reported herein. Both an idealized crater and a scaled model of a real martian crater are examined. Measurements were performed using high-resolution planar particle image velocimetry (PIV) in a refractive-index matching (RIM) flow environment. Rendering the crater models optically invisible with this RIM approach provided unimpeded access to the flow around and within each crater model. Results showed that the mean flow within the idealized crater exhibits more structural complexity compared to its moundless counterpart. Second-order statistics highlighted regions of minimal and elevated turbulent stresses, the latter of which revealed a complex interaction between shear layers that are present at the upstream and downstream parts of the rim and the central mound. Periodic vortex shedding of quasi-spanwise vortices from the upstream rim was revealed by POD-filtered instantaneous flow fields. Vertical flapping of this shear layer resulted in vortices occasionally impinging on the inner wall of the downstream rim. Further, conditional averaging analysis suggested periodic lateral oscillations of wall-normal vortices within the crater rim region reminiscent of those observed for flow inside spherical dimples. These results have implications for intra- to extra-crater mass and momentum exchange, and for sediment transport processes. Lastly, experiments with the Gale Crater model showed both similarities with and differences from the primary flow features found for the idealized model. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Boundary Layer Processes in Geophysical/Environmental Flows)
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