Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-ndw9j Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-13T07:05:53.511Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

On the breaking of standing internal gravity waves

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 March 2006

Isidoro Orlanski
Isidoro Orlanski
Affiliation:
Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory/NOAA, Princeton University
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

A solution has been found for the transient behaviour of resonant growing standing waves by using a perturbation expansion. Comparison with laboratory experiments as well as a numerical nonlinear solution of the same problem leads to the conclusion that: (i) the transient behaviour and the nonlinear tendency of the standing waves are described well by the analytic expression; (ii) the numerical results describe the solution very well until the wave starts to break; (iii) from the laboratory experiments and the numerical results, the standing internal gravity waves break owing to local gravitational instability at a critical amplitude which is similar to the one predicted by the expansion theory; (iv) the critical amplitude seems to be the maximum amplitude that a wave can reach; (v) when the generation of turbulence is violent, the small eddies begin forcing a secondary flow characterized by layers of strong jets separated by patches of turbulence.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Fluid Mechanics , Volume 54 , Issue 4 , 22 August 1972 , pp. 577 - 598
Copyright
© 1972 Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Fortuin, J. M. H. 1960 Theory and application of two supplementary methods of construction of density gradient columns J. Polymer Sci. 44, 505–515.Google Scholar
Lipps, F. B. 1971 Two-dimensional numerical experiments in thermal convection with vertical shear J. Atmos. Sci. 28, 3–19.Google Scholar
McEwan, A. D. 1971 Degeneration of resonantly-excited standing internal gravity waves J. Fluid Mech. 50, 431–448.Google Scholar
Orlanski, I. 1971 Energy spectrum of small-scale internal gravity waves J. Geophys. Res. 76, 5829–5835.Google Scholar
Orlanski, I. & Bryan, K. 1969 Formation of the thermocline step structure by large amplitude internal gravity waves J. Geophys. Res. 74, 6975–6983.Google Scholar
Phillips, O. M. 1966 The Dynamics of the Upper Ocean. Cambridge University Press.
Thorpe, S. A. 1968 On standing internal gravity waves of finite amplitude J. Fluid Mech. 32, 489–528.Google Scholar