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Eddies
Terms modified by Eddies Selected AbstractsLarval transport and retention of the spiny lobster, Panulirus argus, in the coastal zone of the Florida Keys, USAFISHERIES OCEANOGRAPHY, Issue 5 2002Cynthia Yeung Abstract The spiny lobster Panulirus argus is of ecological and commercial importance in the South Florida coast of the continental USA and throughout the Intra-Americas Sea. Essential spiny lobster habitat in South Florida is primarily located in the Florida Keys coastal zone (including the Dry Tortugas), where the dynamic regional circulation coupled with the long planktonic larval duration (6,12 months) of P. argus raises questions of larval retention and recruitment. Locally spawned phyllosomata entrained in the Florida Current are likely to be expatriated out of the Straits of Florida, which implies that the local spiny lobster population is sustained by the transport of larval recruits from upstream locations. We examined the physical processes that may influence recruitment. Transport processes in the Keys coastal zone are spatially variable. Observed and modelled data suggest that the upper Keys is a point of onshore larval transport via the inshore meandering of the Florida Current, and the lower Keys to Dry Tortugas region apoint of retention through wind-driven onshore/countercurrents and eddy recirculation. Eddies that propagate between the Dry Tortugas and the lower Keys facilitate the exchange of larvae between the Florida Current and the coastal zone. Northerly wind events associated with cold fronts can enhance recirculation of larvae in the upper Keys. The association of older larvae with the Florida Current front supports the hypothesis that spiny lobster larval recruits come from upstream sources in the Caribbean. [source] Advection of anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus) larvae along the Catalan continental slope (NW Mediterranean)FISHERIES OCEANOGRAPHY, Issue 2 2007A. SABATÉS Abstract The Gulf of Lions is one of the main anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus) spawning areas in the NW Mediterranean. During the spring, low-salinity surface water from the outflow of the Rhône is advected by the shelf-slope current along the continental slope off the Catalan coast. In June 2000, a Lagrangian experiment tracking these low-salinity surface waters was conducted to assess the importance of this transport mechanism for anchovy larvae and to determine the suitability of the tracked surface waters for survival of anchovy larvae. The experiment consisted of sampling the tracked water parcel for 10 days with three drifters launched at the core of the shelf-slope current where low-salinity surface waters were detected. The survey was completed by sampling the surrounding waters. Anchovy larvae from the spawning area in the Gulf of Lions were advected towards the south in the low-salinity waters. The size increase of anchovy larvae throughout the Lagrangian tracking closely followed the general growth rate calculated by otolith analysis (0.65 mm day,1). However, advection by the current was not the only mechanism of anchovy larval transport. A series of anticyclonic eddies, originated in the Gulf of Lions and advected southwards, seemed to play a complementary role in the transport of larvae from the spawning ground towards the nursery areas. These eddies not only contributed to larval transport but also prevented their dispersion. These transport and aggregation mechanisms may be important for anchovy populations along the Catalan coast and require further study. [source] Larval lobster (Homarus americanus) distribution and drift in the vicinity of the Gulf of Maine offshore banks and their probable originsFISHERIES OCEANOGRAPHY, Issue 2 2005G. C. HARDING Abstract Surveys for lobster larvae in offshore waters of the north-eastern Gulf of Maine in 1983, 1987 and 1989 confirm that local hatching occurs mainly at depths <100 m over the banks, including Georges and Browns Banks. Detailed studies in the vicinity of Georges Bank in late July of both 1987 and 1989 indicate that the first and second moult stages were located primarily over the bank whereas stages III and IV lobster were collected both over and off the bank. At times stage IV lobster were more abundant off the bank than over it. The condition of stage III and IV lobster, as measured by a lipid index, was better off than over Georges Bank in 1988 and 1989 indicating a possible physiological advantage to being off the bank. In addition, the higher surface temperatures off Georges Bank would shorten larval development time to settlement. To determine the probable hatch sites of stage IV lobster collected off of Browns Bank in 1983 and off of Georges in 1987 and 1989, a 3-D circulation model of the Gulf of Maine was used to simulate larval lobster drift backwards in time. In all cases, areas off Cape Cod, MA, and off Penobscot Bay, ME were suggested as the source of the larvae, although most of the larval trajectories never reached these near-shore waters that are well-known, larval hatching areas. The model-projected larval release times match most closely the observed inshore hatch off Massachusetts but model uncertainties mean that coastal Maine cannot be ruled out as a source. Georges Bank is also a potential source because the present model does not take into account short-term wind events, off-bank eddy transport or the possibility of directed off-bank larval swimming. Examination of weather records prior to and during our 1988 and 1989 sampling periods indicates that winds were not of sufficient intensity and duration to induce larval transport off Georges Bank. The shedding of eddies from the northern flank of Georges Bank into the Gulf of Maine are a relatively common phenomenon during summer but not enough is known about them to evaluate their contribution to possible cross-bank transport of lobster larvae. Directed larval swimming is another possible source for the stage IV lobster found near Georges Bank. Plankton distributions across the northern frontal zone of Georges Bank in 1988 were used as proxies for the scarce larval lobsters. The more surface distribution of the microplankton, in particular, supports the possibility that wind and eddy events may be important in the transport of stage III and IV lobsters off of Georges Bank. Further studies are needed to evaluate these possible additional sources of advanced stage lobster larvae found off of the offshore banks. [source] Mesoscale eddies and survival of late stage Pacific sardine (Sardinops sagax) larvaeFISHERIES OCEANOGRAPHY, Issue 1 2001Elizabeth A. Logerwell We examined the distribution of sardine larvae relative to environmental conditions with the purpose of identifying and characterizing habitat that encourages high larval growth and survival, based on the 1983,1998 surveys of the California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigations (CalCOFI). Long-term averages show that sardine ,survivors' (spatially aggregated larvae , 18 days old) were most abundant offshore, whereas sardine egg density, chlorophyll biomass and zooplankton volume were greatest inshore. In contrast, mesoscale eddies, observed in remotely sensed sea surface temperature imagery, were found only in offshore regions. To further examine the link between eddies , which often result in locally elevated chlorophyll and zooplankton , and sardine survival, we compared the distribution of larvae and eddies survey by survey. Sardine survivors were most abundant offshore in only one-quarter of the research surveys, and when they were most abundant offshore they were associated with eddies. This indicates that the offshore eddy habitat produced exceptionally large numbers of survivors, as evidenced by the disproportionate effect on the long-term average. [source] A synthesis of biological and physical processes affecting the feeding environment of larval walleye pollock (Theragra chalcogramma) in the eastern Bering SeaFISHERIES OCEANOGRAPHY, Issue 2 2000Napp Biological and physical phenomena that affect conditions for larval survival and eventual recruitment differ in the oceanic and shelf regions. In the oceanic region, eddies are a common feature. While their genesis is not well known, eddies have unique biophysical characteristics and occur with such regularity that they likely affect larval survival. High concentrations of larval pollock often are associated with eddies. Some eddies are transported onto the shelf, thereby providing larvae to the Outer Shelf Domain. Advection, rather than local production, dominated the observed springtime increase in chlorophyll (often a correlate of larval food) in the oceanic region. Over two-thirds of the south-eastern shelf, eddies are absent and other phenomena are important. Sea ice is a feature of the shelf region: its interannual variability (time of arrival, persistence, and areal extent) affects developmental rate of larvae, timing of the phytoplankton bloom (and potentially the match/mismatch of larvae and prey), and abundance and distribution of juvenile pollock. In the oceanic region, interannual variation in food for first-feeding pollock larvae is determined by advection; in the shelf region, it is the coupled dynamics of the atmosphere,ice,ocean system. [source] The aerodynamics and efficiency of wind pollination in grassesFUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY, Issue 4 2010James E. Cresswell Summary 1.,Under natural selection for sexual success, the reproductive organs of plants should evolve to become highly effective pollen receptors. Among wind-pollinated plants, larger reproductive structures appear counter-adapted to accumulate pollen by impaction on their windward surfaces, because airborne particles are less able to penetrate the thicker boundary layer of larger targets. Therefore, it has been proposed that wind-pollinated plants with pollen receptors on relatively large structures, like some grasses (family Poaceae), are architecturally adapted to create downstream vortices in which airborne pollen recirculates before accumulating on leeward surfaces. From this basis, the striking diversity among the grasses in the architecture of their flowering stems has been attributed in part to the existence of these contrasting mechanisms for effecting pollen receipt, namely impact collection and recirculatory collection. 2.,We investigated the relative importance of impact and recirculatory collection in grasses by analysing a model system in silico using Computational Fluid Dynamics and by conducting in vivo experiments, both in a wind tunnel and outdoors, using two grass species with compact inflorescences, Alopecurus pratensis and Anthoxanthum odoratum. 3.,Irrespective of the experimental approach, we found that although pollen recirculated in the leeward eddies of inflorescences, over 95% of the accumulated pollen was collected by windward surfaces. 4.,In A. pratensis, the collection efficiency (proportion of oncoming pollen collected) was between 5% and 20%, depending on wind speed in the range 0·5,1·9 m s,1 and these levels conform to those predicted by a mechanistic model of impact collection. 5.,Our results demonstrate that grass species with larger inflorescences are, like those with smaller inflorescences, primarily impact collectors of airborne pollen, which suggests that dissimilar reproductive morphology among species cannot be attributed to differentiation in the mode of pollen capture and, instead, requires reference to other factors, such as the need to produce, protect and disperse seeds of different sizes in different environments. [source] The Local Shape of Revolution: Reflections on Quantitative Geography at Cambridge in the 1950s and 1960sGEOGRAPHICAL ANALYSIS, Issue 3 2008Peter Haggett The "quantitative revolution" in human geography which swept across so many universities in the 1950s and 1960s had its main diffusion centers in a few locations which were to have global significance. Two critical early centers were the University of Washington in the Pacific Northwest and Lund University in southern Sweden. But the experience of change was different in different locations as the general forces of perturbation sweeping around academia were translated into local eddies with local repercussions. Here, small and somewhat random quirks at the outset, led eventually to fundamental divergences between adoption and rejection. The theme is illustrated by reference to changes which occurred at Cambridge, one of England's two oldest universities, as seen from the perspective of someone who,as undergraduate, graduate student, and later, faculty member,was caught up in these changes and took some small part in propagating them. Special attention is given to the role of two environmental scientists, Vaughan Lewis and Richard Chorley, in introducing changes and the way in which later developments in human geography drew on preceding experiences in physical geography. The reasons behind the "Cambridge variant" and the questions of how intellectual DNA is passed across the generations are discussed. [source] On the influence of numerical schemes and subgrid,stress models on large eddy simulation of turbulent flow past a square cylinderINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN FLUIDS, Issue 3 2002A. Nakayama Abstract Influence of finite difference schemes and subgrid-stress models on the large eddy simulation calculation of turbulent flow around a bluff body of square cylinder at a laboratory Reynolds number, has been examined. It is found that the type and the order of accuracy of finite-difference schemes and the subgrid-stress model for satisfactory results are dependent on each other, and the grid resolution and the Reynolds number. Using computational grids manageable by workstation-level computers, with which the near-wall region of the separating boundary layer cannot be resolved, central-difference schemes of realistic orders of accuracy, either fully conservative or non-conservative, suffer stability problems. The upwind-biased schemes of third order and the Smagorinsky eddy-viscosity subgrid model can give reasonable results resolving much of the energy-containing turbulent eddies in the boundary layers and in the wake and representing the subgrid stresses in most parts of the flow. Noticeable improvements can be obtained by either using higher order difference schemes, increasing the grid resolution and/or by implementing a dynamic subgrid stress model, but each at a cost of increased computational time. For further improvements, the very small-scale eddies near the upstream corners and in the laminar sublayers need to be resolved but would require a substantially larger number of grid points that are out of the range of easily accessible computers. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Currents and eddies in the discourse of assessment: a learning-focused interpretation1INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF APPLIED LINGUISTICS, Issue 2 2006Pauline Rea-Dickins évaluation formative de la langue; évaluation sommative de la langue; enseignement; l'anglais en tant que langue supplémentaire (seconde); interaction dans la classe This article explores processes of classroom assessment, in particular ways in which learners using English as an additional language engage in formative assessment within a primary school setting. Transcript evidence of teacher and learner interactions during activities viewed by teachers as formative or summative assessment opportunities are presented as the basis for an analysis of teacher feedback, learner responses to this feedback, as well as learner-initiated talk. The analyses suggest that there are different teacher orientations within assessment and highlight the potential that assessment dialogues might offer for assessment as a resource for language learning, thus situating this work at the interface between assessment and second language acquisition. The article also questions the extent to which learners are aware of the different assessment purposes embedded within instruction. Cet article explore les procédés d'évaluation pratiqués dans les salles de classe des écoles primaires en particulier les méthodes que les apprenants de l'anglais seconde langue utilisent dans le cadre d' une évaluation formative. Les transcriptions des interactions entre l'enseignant et l'apprenant durant les activités considérées par les enseignants comme étant des opportunités d'évaluation à la fois formatives et sommativesforment la base de l'analyse du feedback de l'enseignant, des réponses de l'apprenant à ce feedback ainsi que du discours initié par l'apprenant. Les analyses suggèrent qu'il existe différentes orientations de la part de l'enseignant au sein de l'évaluation et mettent en valeur le potentiel que les dialogues d'évaluation peuvent offrir en tant que ressource dans l'apprentissage d'une langue, situant ainsi ce travail dans l'interface entre l'évaluation et l'acquisition d'une seconde langue. L'auteur de cet article se demande à quel point les apprenants sont conscients des différents objectifs d'évaluation ancrés dans l'enseignement. [source] Atmospheric moisture budget over Antarctica and the Southern Ocean based on the ERA-40 reanalysisINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CLIMATOLOGY, Issue 15 2008Hanna Tietäväinen Abstract The atmospheric moisture budget over Antarctica and the Southern Ocean was analysed for the period 1979,2001 on the basis of the ERA-40 reanalysis of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. Meridional transport by transient eddies makes the largest contribution to the southward water vapour transport. The mean meridional circulation contributes to the northward transport in the Antarctic coastal areas, but this effect is compensated by the southward transport by stationary eddies. The convergence of meridional water vapour transport is at its largest at 64,68°S, while the convergence of zonal transport is regionally important in areas of high cyclolysis. Inter-annual variations in water vapour transport are related to the southern annular mode (SAM). The eastward transport has a significant (95% confidence level) positive correlation with the SAM index, while the northward transport has a significant negative correlation with SAM near 60°S. Hydrological balance is well-achieved in the ERA-40 reanalysis: the difference between the water vapour flux convergence (based on analysis) and the net precipitation (precipitation minus evaporation, based on 24-h forecasts) is only 13 mm yr,1 (3%) over the Southern Ocean and , 8 mm yr,1 (5%) over the continental ice sheet. Over the open ocean, the analysis methodology favours the accuracy of the flux convergence. For the whole study region, the annual mean flux convergence exceeded net precipitation by 11 mm yr,1 (3%). The ERA-40 result for the mean precipitation over the Antarctic continental ice sheet in 1979,2001 is 177 ± 8 mm yr,1, while previous estimates range from 173 to 215 mm yr,1. For the period 1979,2001, the ERA-40 data do not show any statistically significant trend in precipitation over the Antarctic grounded ice sheet and ice shelves. From the ERA-40 data, the annual average net evaporation (evaporation minus condensation) is positive over the whole continent. Copyright © 2008 Royal Meteorological Society [source] On the effect of the local turbulence scales on the mixing rate of diffusion flames: assessment of two different combustion modelsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENERGY RESEARCH, Issue 10 2002Jose Lopes Abstract A mathematical model for the prediction of the turbulent flow, diffusion combustion process, heat transfer including thermal radiation and pollutants formation inside combustion chambers is described. In order to validate the model the results are compared herein against experimental data available in the open literature. The model comprises differential transport equations governing the above-mentioned phenomena, resulting from the mathematical and physical modelling, which are solved by the control volume formulation technique. The results yielded by the two different turbulent-mixing physical models used for combustion, the simple chemical reacting system (SCRS) and the eddy break-up (EBU), are analysed so that the need to make recourse to local turbulent scales to evaluate the reactants' mixing rate is assessed. Predictions are performed for a gaseous-fuelled combustor fired with two different burners that induce different aerodynamic conditions inside the combustion chamber. One of the burners has a typical geometry of that used in gaseous fired boilers,fuel firing in the centre surrounded by concentric oxidant firing,while the other burner introduces the air into the combustor through two different swirling concentric streams. Generally, the results exhibit a good agreement with the experimental values. Also, NO predictions are performed by a prompt-NO formation model used as a post-processor together with a thermal-NO formation model, the results being generally in good agreement with the experimental values. The predictions revealed that the mixture between the reactants occurred very close to the burner and almost instantaneously, that is, immediately after the fuel-containing eddies came into contact with the oxidant-containing eddies. As a result, away from the burner, the SCRS model, that assumes an infinitely fast mixing rate, appeared to be as accurate as the EBU model for the present predictions. Closer to the burner, the EBU model, that establishes the reactants mixing rate as a function of the local turbulent scales, yielded slightly slower rates of mixture, the fuel and oxidant concentrations which are slightly higher than those obtained with the SCRS model. As a consequence, the NO concentration predictions with the EBU combustion model are generally higher than those obtained with the SCRS model. This is due to the existence of higher concentrations of fuel and oxygen closer to the burner when predictions were performed taking into account the local turbulent scales in the mixing process of the reactants. The SCRS, being faster and as accurate as the EBU model in the predictions of combustion properties appears to be more appropriate. However, should NO be a variable that is predicted, then the EBU model becomes more appropriate. This is due to the better results of oxygen concentration yielded by that model, since it solves a transport equation for the oxidant concentration, which plays a dominant role in the prompt-NO formation rate. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Performance enhancement of a chemical reactor utilizing flow instability,JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY & BIOTECHNOLOGY, Issue 2-3 2003Mohammad F Kabir Abstract A detailed analysis has been performed for a heterogeneous photocatalytic Taylor vortex reactor that uses flow instability to recirculate fluid continually from the vicinity of the rotating inner cylindrical surface to the stationary outer cylindrical surface of an annulus. A comprehensive time accurate computation shows the different stages of flow evolution and the effects of finite length of the reactor in creating eddies, the overall effects of which shows very high efficiency of photocatalytic conversion. The physical arrangement considered is such that pollutant degradation is maximized by a combination of the Controlled Periodic Illumination (CPI) effect and the motion of fluid particles in a specific regime of centrifugal instability. © 2003 Society of Chemical Industry [source] Multiple pathways for woody plant establishment on floodplains at local to regional scalesJOURNAL OF ECOLOGY, Issue 2 2003David J. Cooper Summary 1The structure and functioning of riverine ecosystems is dependent upon regional setting and the interplay of hydrologic regime and geomorphologic processes. We used a retrospective analysis to study recruitment along broad, alluvial valley segments (parks) and canyon segments of the unregulated Yampa River and the regulated Green River in the upper Colorado River basin, USA. We precisely aged 811 individuals of Populus deltoides ssp. wislizenii (native) and Tamarix ramosissima (exotic) from 182 wooded patches and determined the elevation and character of the germination surface for each. We used logistic regression to relate recruitment events (presence or absence of cohort) to five flow and two weather parameters. 2Woody plant establishment occurred via multiple pathways at patch, reach and segment scales. Recruitment occurred through establishment on (1) vertically accreting bars in the unregulated alluvial valley, (2) high alluvial floodplain surfaces during rare large flood events, (3) vertically accreting channel margin deposits in canyon pools and eddies, (4) vertically accreting intermittent/abandoned channels, (5) low elevation gravel bars and debris fans in canyons during multi-year droughts, and (6) bars and channels formed prior to flow regulation on the dammed river during controlled flood events. 3The Yampa River's peak flow was rarely included in models estimating the likelihood that recruitment would occur in any year. Flow variability and the interannual pattern of flows, rather than individual large floods, control most establishment. 4Regulation of the Green River flow since 1962 has had different effects on woody vegetation recruitment in canyons and valleys. The current regime mimics drought in a canyon setting, accelerating Tamarix invasion whereas in valleys the ongoing geomorphic adjustment of the channel, combined with reduced flow variability, has nearly eliminated Populus establishment. 5A single year's flow or a particular pattern of flows over a sequence of years, whether natural or man-made, produces different recruitment opportunities in alluvial and canyon reaches, in diverse landforms within a particular river reach, and for Populus and Tamarix. The design of flows to restore riparian ecosystems must consider these multiple pathways and adjust the seasonal timing, magnitude and interannual frequency of flows to match the desired outcome. [source] Changes in convective properties over the solar cycle: effect on p-mode damping ratesMONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 2 2001G. Houdek Measurements of both solar irradiance and p-mode oscillation frequencies indicate that the structure of the Sun changes with the solar cycle. Balmforth, Gough & Merryfield investigated the effect of symmetrical thermal disturbances on the solar structure and the resulting pulsation frequency changes. They concluded that thermal perturbations alone cannot account for the variations in both irradiance and p-mode frequencies, and that the presence of a magnetic field affecting acoustical propagation is the most likely explanation of the frequency change, in the manner suggested earlier by Gough & Thompson and by Goldreich et al. Numerical simulations of Boussinesq convection in a magnetic field have shown that at high Rayleigh number the magnetic field can modify the preferred horizontal length scale of the convective flow. Here, we investigate the effect of changing the horizontal length scale of convective eddies on the linewidths of the acoustic resonant mode peaks observed in helioseismic power spectra. The turbulent fluxes in these model computations are obtained from a time-dependent, non-local generalization of the mixing-length formalism. The modelled variations are compared with p-mode linewidth changes revealed by the analysis of helioseismic data collected by the Birmingham Solar-Oscillations Network (BiSON); these low-degree (low- l) observations cover the complete falling phase of solar activity cycle 22. The results are also discussed in the light of observations of solar-cycle variations of the horizontal size of granules and with results from 2D simulations by Steffen of convective granules. [source] Reproductive ecology of the freshwater red alga Batrachospermum delicatulum (Batrachospermales, Rhodophyta) in three tropical streamsPHYCOLOGICAL RESEARCH, Issue 3 2005Orlando Necchi Junior SUMMARY Batrachospermum delicatulum specimens from three stream segments were analyzed from a tropical region in south- eastern Brazil (20°18,, 20°49,S, 49°13,, 49°46,W). Physical and chemical parameters and the spatial placement of thalli were investigated along with the reproductive characteristics of the gametophytic phase. Sequence data of the cox 2- 3 spacer region was also utilized to evaluate genetic variation in individuals within and among stream segments. Gametophyte occurred under relatively diverse environmental conditions, whereas thalli abundance was weakly or not correlated to environmental variables within the stream segments. All specimens examined were dioecious. The ratio of male/female plants was relatively low (0.5 to 1.3) and male plants tended to occur as clumps (two or three plants together). High reproductive success was observed, as indicated by the occurrence of 100% fertilized (carposporophytic) female plants. This is similar to previous reports for this and other dioecious species, which is remarkable considering the relatively low proportion of male/female plants. Results support the two hypotheses to explain the high reproductive success in dioecious species. The occurrence of male plants in clumps was evidence for a strict spatial relationship (i.e. male plants located in upstream position of female plants in order to release spermatia, which would be carried by eddies through female plants). In contrast, the occurrence of male and female plants adjacent to each other allowed outcrossing among neighboring plants with intermingled male and female branches, which seemed more applicable to some situations (low turbulence habitats). The cox 2- 3 spacer region from the 18 individuals sequenced was 376 bp and the DNA sequence was identical with no base pair substitutions. Likewise, a previous study of another Batrachospermum species showed that the same haplotypes were present in all stream segments from the same drainage basin, even though the stream segments were a considerable distance apart. Short distance dispersal either by small birds or waterway connectivity might explain these findings. [source] Important Factors in Bubble Coalescence Modeling in Stirred Tank ReactorsTHE CANADIAN JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING, Issue 3-4 2003Rahman Sudiyo Abstract Bubble coalescence has been studied in a 2.6 L stirred tank. Instantaneous velocity fields were measured using PIV and corresponding turbulent kinetic energy, dissipation rate, various length and timescales were estimated. All of these data, combined with data of local gas hold-up, bubble size and coalescence rate obtained with shadowgraph were used to assess bubble coalescence at different positions. Results show that bubble coalescence takes place mostly near the tank wall, especially on the leeward side of baffles. The most important factors affecting coalescence are gas hold-up, fluctuation of liquid velocity, different rise velocities of bubbles, and trapping of bubbles in stationary and turbulent eddies. On a étudié la coalescence des bulles dans un réservoir agité de 2,6 L. Les champs de vitesse instantanée ont été mesurés par vélocimétrie à imagerie de particules (PIV), et l'énergie cinétique turbulente correspondante, la vitesse de dissipation et diverses échelles de longueur et de temps ont été estimés. Toutes ces données, combinées à des données de rétention de gaz locale, de taille des bulles et de vitesse de coalescence obtenues avec le projecteur de profils, ont permis d'évaluer la coalescence des bulles à différentes positions. Les résultats montrent que la coalescence des bulles se produit principalement près de la paroi du réservoir, spécialement sur la face aval des chicanes. Les principaux facteurs qui influent la coalescence sont la rétention de gaz, la fluctuation de la vitesse de liquide, les différentes vitesses d'ascension des bulles et le piégeage des bulles dans des tourbillons stationnaires et turbulents. [source] Adjustment of the atmospheric circulation to tropical Pacific SST anomalies: Variability of transient eddy propagation in the Pacific,North America sector,THE QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY, Issue 647 2010R. Seager Abstract El Niño,Southern Oscillation (ENSO) related precipitation anomalies in North America are related to changes in the paths of storm systems across the Pacific Ocean, with a more southern route into southwestern North America during El Niños and a more northern route into the Pacific Northwest during La Niñas. Daily reanalysis data are analyzed to confirm these changes. Seasonal mean upper tropospheric eddy statistics show, for El Niños (La Niñas), a pattern that is shifted southward (northward) compared with climatology. Paths of coherent phase propagation of transient eddies and of the propagation of wave packets are analyzed. A coherent path of propagation across the Pacific towards North America is identified that is more zonal during El Niño winters and, during La Niñas, has a dominant path heading northeastward to the Pacific Northwest. A second path heading southeastward from the central Pacific to the tropical east Pacific is more accentuated during La Niñas than El Niños. These changes in wave propagation are reproduced in an ensemble of seasonal integrations of a general circulation model forced by a tropical Pacific sea-surface temperature pattern, confirming that the changes are forced by changes in the mean atmospheric state arising from changes in tropical sea-surface temperature. A simplified model with a specified basic state is used to model the storm tracks for El Niño and La Niña winters. The results suggest that the changes in transient eddy propagation and the eddy statistics can be understood in terms of the refraction of transient eddies within different basic states. Copyright © 2010 Royal Meteorological Society [source] The influence of large convective eddies on the surface-layer turbulenceTHE QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY, Issue 618 2006S. S. Zilitinkevich Abstract Close to the surface large coherent eddies consisting of plumes and downdraughts cause convergent winds blowing towards the plume axes, which in turn cause wind shears and generation of turbulence. This mechanism strongly enhances the convective heat/mass transfer at the surface and, in contrast to the classical formulation, implies an important role of the surface roughness. In this context we introduce the stability-dependence of the roughness length. The latter is important over very rough surfaces, when the height of the roughness elements becomes comparable with the large-eddy Monin,Obukhov length. A consistent theoretical model covering convective regimes over all types of natural surfaces, from the smooth still sea to the very rough city of Athens, is developed; it is also comprehensively validated against data from measurements at different sites and also through the convective boundary layer. Good correspondence between model results, field observations and large-eddy simulation is achieved over a wide range of surface roughness lengths and convective boundary-layer heights. Copyright © 2007 Royal Meteorological Society [source] An eddy-diffusivity/mass-flux parametrization for dry and shallow cumulus convectionTHE QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY, Issue 604 2004P. M. M. Soares Abstract Recently, a new consistent way of parametrizing simultaneously local and non-local turbulent transport for the convective atmospheric boundary layer has been proposed and tested for the clear boundary layer. This approach assumes that in the convective boundary layer the subgrid-scale fluxes result from two different mixing scales: small eddies, that are parametrized by an eddy-diffusivity approach, and thermals, which are represented by a mass-flux contribution. Since the interaction between the cloud layer and the underlying sub-cloud layer predominantly takes place through strong updraughts, this approach offers an interesting avenue of establishing a unified description of the turbulent transport in the cumulus-topped boundary layer. This paper explores the possibility of such a new approach for the cumulus-topped boundary layer. In the sub-cloud and cloud layers, the mass-flux term represents the effect of strong updraughts. These are modelled by a simple entraining parcel, which determines the mean properties of the strong updraughts, the boundary-layer height, the lifting condensation level and cloud top. The residual smaller-scale turbulent transport is parametrized with an eddy-diffusivity approach that uses a turbulent kinetic energy closure. The new scheme is implemented and tested in the research model MesoNH. Copyright © 2004 Royal Meteorological Society [source] Boundary-layer variations due to orographic-wave breaking in the presence of rotationTHE QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY, Issue 603 2004B. Grisogono Abstract A mesoscale numerical model is used to study the atmospheric boundary-layer (ABL) response to nonlinear orographic forcing with Coriolis effect, f, over a mountain with length (the cross-wind component) comparable to the Rossby radius of deformation, LR. The orographic-wave breaking occurring for Froude number Fr<1, affected by f>0, intensifies on the northern flank for westerly flows, as also found in other recent studies. A cumulative effect occurs as the Coriolis force lifts the northern ABL top and generates a stronger low-level jet (LLJ) than on the southern side. A differential layering also appears, since the specific humidity is higher in the lower southern ABL than in the related northern ABL, and vice versa. By contrast, there are higher values of the turbulent kinetic energy and humidity in the upper northern ABL. The breaking of flow symmetry around the orography due to f changes both the vertical vorticity and horizontal divergence field, (,, D), it modulates eddies and turbulence leading to the differential layering of the ABL. The stronger northern LLJ and its weaker southern counterpart, both meandering, together with the asymmetric wave breaking, induce strong lee-side fluctuations of the (,, D) field in the presence of f. The enhanced (,, D) production due to wave breaking over the distance , LR, the primary atmosphere,orography resonance occurs mainly in the vertical, while the ,f -enhancement' occurs in the horizontal plane. In this way, the initial mesoscale forcing may extend its effects over the synoptic scale. Copyright © 2004 Royal Meteorological Society [source] Evolution and dynamics of summertime blocking over the Far East and the associated surface Okhotsk highTHE QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY, Issue 599 2004Hisashi Nakamura Abstract Time evolution and dynamics of an upper-level blocking ridge over the Far East and the associated surface high over the Sea of Okhotsk that give rise to abnormal summertime coolness over eastern Japan are investigated through a composite analysis applied to distinct surface high events. The formation mechanism and vertical structure of the blocking differ fundamentally between May and July, attributable to seasonal changes in the jet structure, storm-track activity over the Far East and the land,sea thermal contrast within the Okhotsk region. In May, forcing from migratory eddies is strong enough for precursory anticyclonic anomalies retrograding slowly over the North Pacific to develop into a blocking ridge. The ridge remains equivalent barotropic under the weak land,sea thermal contrast in the Okhotsk region. In contrast, the eddy forcing is no longer the primary factor for the blocking formation in July, in the presence of the weakened and split westerlies. Rather, the propagation of a stationary Rossby wave packet that has emanated from precursory anticyclonic anomalies over northern Europe stagnates over the Far East, and the subsequent local breaking of the packet leads to the blocking formation. In a particular case in July 1993, a wave packet involved in blocking formation could be traced back as far upstream as the east coast of North America over the two previous weeks. Acting on the strong thermal contrast in July between the cool sea surface and a warm land mass to the west, the anomalous surface easterlies induced by the blocking ridge can build up a cold surface anticyclone through cold advection, rendering the blocking anomalies distinctly baroclinic. Copyright © 2004 Royal Meteorological Society [source] Effects of shear sheltering in a stable atmospheric boundary layer with strong shearTHE QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY, Issue 596 2004Ann-Sofi Smedman Abstract Data from two marine field experiments in the Baltic Sea with stable stratification have been analysed. The purpose was to test the concept of the ,detached' or ,top-down' eddies and the ,shear-sheltering' mechanism in the presence of a low-level wind speed maximum in the atmosphere. Data used include turbulence and profile measurements on two 30 m towers and concurrent wind profiles throughout the boundary layer obtained from pilot-balloon soundings. Measurements show that large eddies are being suppressed when there is a low-level wind speed maximum present somewhere in the layer 40,300 m above the water surface and when the stratification is slightly stable. The effect is seen both in normalized standard deviations of the velocity components and in corresponding component spectra. In previous work it was argued that the relatively large eddies, which dominate the low wave number spectra in measurements in the surface layer, are detached or top-down eddies generated higher up in the boundary layer, that interact with the surface layer. The low-level wind maximum introduces a distinct layer with strong vorticity which, according to the shear-sheltering hypothesis, prevents these eddies from penetrating downwards. In the limit of the wind maximum occurring at a very low height (less than about 100 m), usual turbulence statistics characteristic of the ,canonical' boundary layer are found. Combining all the statistics, it is demonstrated that the wavelength of maximum spectral energy is locally related to a turbulence length-scale, which shows that for values of the Richardson number of unity or less the effect of the local wind gradient is greater than that of static stability. The reduction of length-scale with the strength of a low-level wind maximum, explains the observed reduction (by a factor of two) of the turbulent flux of sensible heat at the surface. This result indicates that the shear-sheltering mechanism is likely to play an important role in the turbulent exchange process at the surface in sea areas where low-level wind maxima are a frequently occurring phenomenon, such as the Baltic and other large water bodies surrounded by landmasses. Copyright © 2004 Royal Meteorological Society [source] Density currents in shear flows: Effects of rigid lid and cold-pool internal circulation, and application to squall line dynamicsTHE QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY, Issue 579 2002Ming Xue Abstract Idealized density current models that contain a rigid lid, developed in previous studies, are evaluated. It is shown, through numerical experiments, that a realistic stable layer placed at the level of the rigid lid acts very much like a rigid lid, in confining the environmental flow to the levels below and in controlling the behaviour of density currents that propagate in the flow. When this stable layer is replaced by a neutrally stable layer, the behaviour of the density current is very different. These results support the hypothesis that in the atmosphere, the tropopause or a tropospheric inversion layer acts much like a rigid lid in the idealized density current models, and the solutions of these models are applicable to organized quasi-two-dimensional convective systems such as squall lines in the atmosphere. The effects of cold-pool internal circulations on density current behaviour are also examined. When a single circulation is present initially inside the cold pool, the direction of circulation that gives rise to a smaller shear across the density interface leads to a smoother interface and a much more steady density current head. Large-amplitude eddies develop along the interface when the direction of circulation is reversed. When two layers of shear are initially present inside the cold pool, the flow pattern inside the cold pool tends to be dominated by the circulation of the lower layer. In this case, the behaviour of the density interface and density current head depends on more than just the initial cross-interface shear. The overall flow pattern in the density current, in which the cold-pool circulation contains rearward flows at the ground level, bears a close similarity to that found in mature squall line systems, as shown by comparisons with a simulated squall line. When the cold pool in a squall line is defined in terms of the equivalent potential temperature, the solutions of idealized density currents in sheared flows become more readily applicable to squall lines. Copyright © 2002 Royal Meteorological Society. [source] Turbulent length-scales in the marine atmospheric mixed layerTHE QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY, Issue 566 2000P. Durand Abstract The spectra of turbulence signals can be characterized by several independent scales. To provide a parametrization of these spectra requires knowledge of the relationships between these scales. This paper focuses on three independent scales: the integral scale (which is influenced by the low-frequency behaviour of the spectra); the wavelength of the spectrum peak (which characterizes the energy-containing domain); and the dissipation scale (which is relevant for the inertial subrange). First, we present definitions of these various scales, and the possible relationships between them. The profiles of the scales were computed from airborne measurements made in the atmospheric mixed layer over the open ocean, in a region where horizontal homogeneity can be assumed, at least for several tens of km. Furthermore, the diurnal cycle being very weak in this oceanic area, and aircraft moving at high speed through the air mass, stationarity is well verified on the runs, and Taylor's hypothesis may be used. The meteorological conditions correspond to a slightly unstable mixed layer, with weak to moderate winds. In a first part, we analyse the integral scales of various parameters on a 180-km run and demonstrate that these parameters cannot be computed with any soundness from horizontal-wind, temperature and moisture signals, because of the continuous increase in the spectral energy when moving towards lower frequencies. For the same reasons, the spectrum peak and the corresponding wavelength cannot be determined for these parameters. The computation of the integral and energy-containing scale is therefore restricted to the vertical velocity, and to the various covariances. The turbulence field is characterized by a stretching of the eddies along the mean wind direction which results in greater integral and energy-containing scales (but not in greater dissipation scales) when computed for along-wind runs than for the cross-wind runs. The profiles of the various scales increase with altitude and are well defined in the lower half of the mixed layer, but are much more scattered in the upper half. This behaviour is related to the source of turbulence, which lies in the surface buoyancy flux in the lower half of the mixed layer, and comes from higher altitude sources in the upper half. The integral scales have values comparable with those found in previous work, except for parameters related to temperature fluctuations, which have lower values. The ratio of the energy-containing scale to the integral scale, which determines the sharpness of the ,spectral knee', varies considerably from one parameter to another, and sometimes with altitude. This demonstrates that a single unique parametrization cannot be defined for turbulence spectra. As a consequence, the eddy-exchange coefficients, which depend on a characteristic length-scale, should vary from one parameter to another. This would then have to be taken into account in model parametrization based on mixing length-scales. [source] North atlantic oscillatiodannular mode: Two paradigms,one phenomenonTHE QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY, Issue 564 2000John M. Wallace Abstract The North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), as defined in the studies of Sir Gilbert Walker ca. 1930, and the zonal-index cycle, as elaborated by investigators at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology some twenty years later, are different interpretations of the same entity, whose time variations are well represented by the leading principal component of the northern hemisphere sea-level pressure field. The NAO paradigm envisions this phenomenon as involving a unique teleconnection pattern in the Atlantic sector that varies on interannual and longer time-scales in association with large-scale atmosphere-ocean interaction. In contrast, the zonal-index-cycle paradigm posits the existence of independent, fundamentally zonally symmetric (or ,annular') modes of variability in the northern and southern hemispheres, both of which fluctuate on intraseasonal as well as interannual time-scales. Spontaneous interactions between the zonally symmetric flow and the eddies are viewed as being largely responsible for the variability of the annular modes at the higher frequencies, and a variety of different mechanisms including, but by no means limited to, atmosphere-ocean interaction are viewed as potentially capable of forcing them at the lower frequencies. The NAO and ,annular mode' paradigms offer contradictory interpretations of the causal linkages that are responsible for the observed correlations between North Atlantic climate variability and variations in a diverse array of zonally averaged quantities. They suggest different research agendas and they evoke quite different images in the popular press. It is argued that the two paradigms cannot be equally valid and that it is in the interests of the community to come to a consensus as to which of them is more appropriate. Rules of evidence are proposed as a basis for making that decision. [source] Influence of assimilated SST on regional atmospheric simulation: A case of a cold-air outbreak over the Japan SeaATMOSPHERIC SCIENCE LETTERS, Issue 1 2008Masaru Yamamoto Abstract Sea surface temperature (SST) assimilated using an ocean circulation model is used for the atmospheric simulation of a cold-air outbreak over the Japan Sea. The upward surface-turbulent heat fluxes are significantly influenced by the high-resolution SST structure resulting from mesoscale oceanic eddies. A strong deceleration of the outbreak due to local convective activity arises in a coastal area when using the assimilated SST data, in good agreement with observations; however, this feature is not observed when using the interpolated SST. In general, the use of assimilated temperature does improve regional atmospheric simulations. Copyright © 2008 Royal Meteorological Society [source] The influence of pool length on local turbulence production and energy slope: a flume experimentEARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS, Issue 11 2004Douglas M. Thompson Abstract The in,uence of pool length on the strength of turbulence generated by vortex shedding was investigated in a 6 m long recirculating ,ume. The experiment utilized a 38% constriction of ,ow and an average channel-bed slope of 0·007. The base geometry for the intermediate-length pool experiment originated from a highly simpli,ed, 0·10 scale model of a forced pool from North Saint Vrain Creek, Colorado. Discharge in the ,ume was 31·6 l/s, which corresponds to a discharge in the prototype channel of 10 m3/s. Three shorter and four longer pool lengths also were created with a ,xed bed to determine changes in turbulence intensities and energy slope with pool elongation. Three-dimensional velocities were measured with an acoustic Doppler velocimeter at 31,40 different 0·6-depth and near-bed locations downstream of the rectangular constriction. The average velocity and root mean square (RMS) of the absolute magnitude of velocity at both depths are signi,cantly related to the distance from the constriction in most pool locations downstream of the constriction. In many locations, pool elongation results in a non-linear change in turbulence intensities and average velocity. Based on the overall ,ow pattern, the strongest turbulence occurs in the center of the pool along the shear zone between the jet and recirculating eddy. The lateral location of this shear zone is sensitive to changes in pool length. Energy slope also was sensitive to pool length due to a combination of greater length of the pool and greater head loss with shorter pools. The results indicate some form of hydraulic optimization is possible with pools adjusting their length to adjust the location and strength of turbulent intensities in the center of pools, and lower their rate of energy dissipation. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Flow-field observations of a tidally driven island wake used by marine mammals in the Bay of Fundy, CanadaFISHERIES OCEANOGRAPHY, Issue 5 2007D. W. JOHNSTON Abstract Correlations between fine-scale oceanographic features and aggregations of marine mammals are frequently reported, but the physical forces shaping these relationships are rarely explored. We conducted a series of oceanographic observations and remote sensing surveys of an oceanographic feature near Grand Manan Island known to attract marine mammals on flood tides. We tracked drift drogues from cliff-top with a theodolite and conducted box-type surveys with an acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) to assess flow patterns within the oceanographic feature. The feature was also visualized with Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) scenes. Drift drogues were advected towards a shear line originating near the northern tip of the island and entrained in one or more eddies downstream. ADCP surveys confirmed the presence of the shear line between rapid easterly flow and slower return flow. As the tide progressed, the shear line extended and manifested a single anti-cyclonic eddy at its distal end. As the flood tide progressed, northerly flow along the eastern shore of the island intensified and deflected the shear line northwards, shedding the eddy at slack high water. SAR images confirmed the presence of the shearline and eddy system, illustrating the evolution of a wake behind the island on flood tides. Profiles of flow direction and acoustic backscatter revealed secondary flows within the wake consistent with models and observations of other wakes. Oceanographic and remote sensing observations confirm that an island wake is generated by tidal flow past Grand Manan Island and provide an ecological context for the predictable aggregations of odontocete and mysticete cetaceans observed foraging within this region. [source] Mesoscale physical processes and the distribution and composition of ichthyoplankton on the southern Brazilian shelf breakFISHERIES OCEANOGRAPHY, Issue 1 2006BÁRBARA CRISTIE FRANCO Abstract The southern Brazilian shelf supports the largest fish stocks in the country, and studies on physical,biological processes in the ecology of ichthyoplankton have been recommended to provide a better understanding of the variability of the recruitment of fishing resources. This study is the first to examine the influence of mesoscale physical processes on the distribution of early life stages of fish in this shelf-break region. Collections of fish eggs and larvae and measurements of temperature and salinity were made at 13 stations along cross-shelf transects in December 1997. Myctophidae, Bregmacerotidae, Clupeidae, Synodontidae and Engraulidae were the most abundant larvae in the northern region, while Engraulidae and Bregmacerotidae prevailed further south. In situ hydrographic data, NOAA/AVHRR images and merged TOPEX/POSEIDON + ERS-1/2 satellite altimetry taken during the cruise revealed an anticyclonic eddy dominating the shelf around 31°S. Larval fish abundance was lower at the centre of this feature, suggesting that the eddy advected poorer offshore waters of tropical origin towards the inner shelf-concentrating the larvae around the eddy. [source] High abundance of larval rockfish over Cobb Seamount, an isolated seamount in the Northeast PacificFISHERIES OCEANOGRAPHY, Issue 3 2001John F. Dower The larval fish community in the region of Cobb Seamount (500 km west of Oregon) is dominated by myctophid species commonly encountered in the subarctic North Pacific. However, during a survey in June 1992, the ichthyoplankton community within 30 km of the seamount summit was almost completely dominated by larvae of various rockfish (Sebastes) species. Given their very small size (and hence very young age) and the fact that they occurred only rarely in samples collected > 30 km from the seamount summit, we conclude that these Sebastes larvae were produced locally over Cobb Seamount. Previous studies have shown that the Cobb fish fauna is dominated by various Sebastes spp. and that, unlike other fish present on the seamount, the rockfish populations may be self-recruiting. We suggest that a persistent clockwise (i.e. downwelling) eddy, consistent with a stratified Taylor cone, plays a critical role in retaining larval rockfish over Cobb Seamount and may contribute to the process of self-recruitment. The key to the success of rockfish on Cobb and other shallow Northeast Pacific seamounts seems to be linked to their viviparous life history. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||