Long nonlinear topographic planetary waves in a rotating stratified ocean

Long nonlinear topographic waves in a continuously stratified ocean with a linear bottom slope are investigated. It is shown that odd cross-channel modes are governed by the Korteweg-de Vries (K-dV) equation. The solitary waves are those of a low pressure type. The long waves are shown to be modulationally stable because of the nonlinear effect due to irrotational motion. All these results are missed if the conventional quasi-geostrophic approximation is adopted.     

Analysis of the differential-difference schemes of equations for the barotropic ocean

Difference schemes constructed for the problems using a barotropic approximation (Poincaré waves, Kelvin waves, Rossby waves, quasi-geostrophic normal modes, forced free oscillations) allow one to obtain exact solutions for a set of discrete equations. It is shown that the better approximation is achieved on thef-plane, using the grid different from gridsB andC. Translated by Vladimir A. Puchkin.     

Resonant Excitation of Baroclinic Waves in the Presence of Ekman Friction

The quasi-geostrophic dynamics of disturbances of a flow with a vertical shear is described by a transfer equation for potential vorticity. Wave solutions of this equation are represented by edge baroclinic waves (modes in a discrete spectrum) and singular modes in a continuous spectrum. When frequencies of these modes coincide, the effect of resonant excitation occurs in which the amplitude of baroclinic waves increases linearly. This paper studies this effect in the presence of Ekman bottom friction. It is shown that friction suppresses linear wave growth and gives rise to baroclinic waves of finite amplitude.     

波浪沿斜面传播过程的数值模拟

精确模拟非线性波沿斜面传播过程非常困难,为此论文从势函数的边界积分方程出发,建立了一种时域内二维波浪模拟的数值模型,主要用来模拟完全非线性波浪的传播变形过程。论文的数值模型使用高阶二维边界元方法,采用可调节时间步长的基于二阶显式泰勒展开的混合欧拉-拉格郎日时间步进来求解带自由表面的线性或完全非线性波浪传播问题。在计算区域一端造出线性或非线性的周期性波浪,另一端采用消除反射波的人工粘性吸收边界。通过与现有理论比较证明了论文数值方法所得结果是准确可靠的。     

Nonlinear effects in the process of propagation of internal waves with regard for the turbulent viscosity and diffusion

By the method of asymptotic multiscale expansions in the Boussinesq approximation, we study nonlinear effects observed in the process of propagation of internal waves with regard for the turbulent viscosity and diffusion. We determine the decrement of attenuation of waves and the boundary-layer solutions at the bottom and on the free surface. The wave-induced mean current is found in the second order of smallness in the wave steepness. The coefficients of the nonlinear Schr?dinger equation are obtained for the envelope of the wave packet. It is shown that a weakly nonlinear plane wave is stable under longitudinal modulation in the long-wave limit. If the wavelength is smaller than a certain critical value, then the wave is unstable under modulation.     

Study on instability and nonlinear evolution of density fronts and coastal boundary currents

This article reviews the author's study on the instability and nonlinear evolution of density fronts and boundary currents, for which the Okada Prize was awarded in 1990. Cited topics are (i) theory for nonlinear longwaves on a coastal density current and the propagation of a density front along a coast, (ii) instabilities contained in one-layer frontal models, and (iii) nonlinear stability theory of two-layer boundary currents. Although much of these works were carried out by using frontal models, results obtained under the quasi-geostrophic approximation are also reviewed.     

Investigation of conditions for the generation and propagation of low-frequency disturbances in the troposphere

Low-frequency disturbances responsible for the excitation of torsional oscillations—variations in the zonal mean flow intensity with a characteristic scale of 15–20 days—propagating along the meridian at mid and low latitudes of both hemispheres are investigated [1]. As data observed over the eastern parts of continents and the western parts of oceans are processed with the lag correlation statistics, traveling waves intersecting the eastern parts of continents from northwest to southeast and then returning to the north along the ocean coasts are identified. In this case, trains of anomalies oriented in the zonal direction periodically appear and are destructed in the western parts of continents. The simulation of the propagation of disturbances in the quasi-geostrophic approximation made it possible to explain the specific features of lag correlation statistics over continents by the dispersion of two-dimensional Rossby waves from traveling sources. The turnover of disturbances over Asia and wave trains to the west from the pole were reproduced. Torsional oscillations caused by the dispersion of two-dimensional Rossby waves have a characteristic form of inclined bands in the latitude-time diagram, whose steepness is controlled by the velocity of displacement of the vorticity source along the meridian.     

弱非线性斯托克斯波在非平整海底上传播的新型抛物型方程

由于缓坡方程计算量大和其本身的缓坡假定而在实际应用中受到了限制,故对斯托克斯波在非平整海底(适用于缓坡和陡坡地形)上传播的Liu和Dingemans的三阶演化方程进行抛物逼近,得到一个新的非线性抛物型方程,它能够包含同类方程未曾考虑的二阶长波效应.通过数值计算结果与Berkhoff等人的经典实验数据的比较,证明所提出的抛物型模型理论具有较高的精度.     

Breaking of a tidal internal wave on a steep shelf as inferred from temperature measurements

The structure, evolution, and breaking of a tidal internal wave on a steep shelf are discussed on the basis of the data of temperature measurements. The bottom slope at the measurement site is close to the critical slope for a tidal wave. The tidal wave and other waves are inclined coastward. The tidal-wave amplitude increases monotonically with increasing horizon depth. The tidal wave is nonlinear in amplitude and turns over on the outer shelf. On the inner shelf, the internal wave is close in shape to rectangular and generates harmonics of its own. The harmonics make the tidal wave steeper and form solitary rises similar to bilateral bores. All these features ensure a more rapid sink for the internal-tide energy.     

Experimental study of turbulent oscillatory boundary layers in an oscillating water tunnel

A high-quality experimental study including a large number of tests which correspond to full-scale coastal boundary layer flows is conducted using an oscillating water tunnel for flow generations and a Particle Image Velocimetry system for velocity measurements. Tests are performed for sinusoidal, Stokes and forward-leaning waves over three fixed bottom roughness configurations, i.e. smooth, “sandpaper” and ceramic-marble bottoms. The experimental results suggest that the logarithmic profile can accurately represent the boundary layer flows in the very near-bottom region, so the log-profile fitting analysis can give highly accurate determinations of the theoretical bottom location and the bottom roughness. The first-harmonic velocities of both sinusoidal and nonlinear waves, as well as the second-harmonic velocities of nonlinear waves, exhibit similar patterns of vertical variation. Two dimensionless characteristic boundary layer thicknesses, the elevation of 1% velocity deficit and the elevation of maximum amplitude, are found to have power-law dependencies on the relative roughness for rough bottom tests. A weak boundary layer streaming embedded in nonlinear waves and a small but meaningful third-harmonic velocity embedded in sinusoidal waves are observed. They can be only explained by the effect of a time-varying turbulent eddy viscosity. The measured period-averaged vertical velocities suggest the presence of Prandtl's secondary flows of the second kind in the test channel. Among the three methods to infer bottom shear stress from velocity measurements, the Reynolds stress method underestimates shear stress due to missed turbulent eddies, and the momentum integral method also significantly underestimates bottom shear stress for rough bottom tests due to secondary flows, so only the log-profile fitting method is considered to yield the correct estimate. The obtained bottom shear stresses are analyzed to give the maximum and the first three harmonics, and the results are used to validate some existing theoretical models.     

Helicity in dynamic atmospheric processes

An overview on the helicity of the velocity field and the role played by this concept in modern research in the field of geophysical fluid dynamics and dynamic meteorology is given. Different (both previously known in the literature and first presented) formulations of the equation of helicity balance in atmospheric motions (including those with allowance for effects of air compressibility and Earth’s rotation) are brought together. Equations and relationships are given which are valid in different approximations accepted in dynamic meteorology: Boussinesq approximation, quasi-static approximation, and quasi-geostrophic approximation. Emphasis is placed on the analysis of helicity budget in large-scale quasi-geostrophic systems of motion; a formula for the helicity flux across the upper boundary of the nonlinear Ekman boundary layer is given, and this flux is shown to be exactly compensated for by the helicity destruction inside the Ekman boundary layer.     

A coupled-mode system with application to nonlinear water waves propagating in finite water depth and in variable bathymetry regions

A non-linear coupled-mode system of horizontal equations is presented, modelling the evolution of nonlinear water waves in finite depth over a general bottom topography. The vertical structure of the wave field is represented by means of a local-mode series expansion of the wave potential. This series contains the usual propagating and evanescent modes, plus two additional terms, the free-surface mode and the sloping-bottom mode, enabling to consistently treat the non-vertical end-conditions at the free-surface and the bottom boundaries. The present coupled-mode system fully accounts for the effects of non-linearity and dispersion, and the local-mode series exhibits fast convergence. Thus, a small number of modes (up to 5–6) are usually enough for precise numerical solution. In the present work, the coupled-mode system is applied to the numerical investigation of families of steady travelling wave solutions in constant depth, corresponding to a wide range of water depths, ranging from intermediate depth to shallow-water wave conditions, and its results are compared vs. Stokes and cnoidal wave theories, as well as with fully nonlinear Fourier methods. Furthermore, numerical results are presented for waves propagating over variable bathymetry regions and compared with nonlinear methods based on boundary integral formulation and experimental data, showing good agreement.     

Nonlinear effects occurring during the propagation of trapped topographic waves

Baroclinic topographic waves trapped by a sloping bottom in the case of a real stratification are considered. The dispersion properties of these waves are studied. The characteristic scales and amplitudes of trapped topographic waves observed in the Norwegian Sea are determined. The asymptotic method of multi-scale expansions is used to study nonlinear effects occurring during the propagation of these waves. The wave-induced mean flow is determined in the second order of smallness in the wave amplitude. The evolution equation for the envelope—the nonlinear Schrödinger equation—is derived. Modulation instability of these waves is examined. It is shown that trapped topographic waves are modulationally unstable.     

On the possibility of biphase parametrization for wave transformation in the coastal zone

Based on experimental data, we study the possibility of parametrizing the spatial variation in the phase shift (biphase) between the first and second nonlinear harmonics of wave motion during wave transformation over an inclined bottom in the coastal zone. It is revealed that the biphase values vary in the range [–π/2, π/2]. Biphase variations rigorously follow fluctuations in amplitudes of the first and second harmonics and the periodicity of energy exchange between them. Wave breaking influences the biphase value, retaining its variations in the negative domain in the range [–π/2, 0]. The formula applied in modern practice to calculate the biphase, which depends on the Ursell number, is incorrect for calculating the biphase for wave evolution in the coastal zone, because it does not take into account periodic energy exchange between the nonlinear harmonics. We propose a linear approximation of the biphase values from the size of the ratio of the current distance to the coast to the possible spacial duration of the exchange period, which is determined by the dispersion relation. We reveal the dependence of biphase variations on the wave transformation scenario and demonstrate the possibility of constructing a separate parameterization of the biphase for each scenario. Our research and the obtained biphase parameterizations can be used to simulate the sea state in the coastal zone, as well as in problems of predicting the development of coasts under the impact of storm waves.     

Trapped bottom topographic waves over the inclined bottom

In the Boussinesq approximation, we study baroclinic topographic waves trapped by the flat meridional slope. The existence of these waves is explained by stratification, inclined bottom, and Earth's rotation. We deduce the evolutionary equation for the square of the envelope of a narrow-band wave packet of trapped waves. In the second order of smallness relative to the wave amplitude, we find the mean fields of velocity and density induced by the packet. It is shown that, in the limiting case of weakly nonlinear plane waves, the induced current is zonal. In the Northern hemisphere, depending on the slope of the bottom γ₁, the sign of the phase velocity σ/k (k is the zonal wave number) is either always positive (for γ₁>γ_1cr) or always negative (for γ₁<γ_1cr). If we neglect the vertical component of the Coriolis acceleration, then γ_1cr=0. Translated by Peter V. Malyshev and Dmitry V. Malyshev     

Dynamics of localized vortices on the beta plane

This paper studies the joint influence that rotation and the earth’s sphericity have on the dynamics of localized synoptic scale vortices within the quasi-geostrophic barotropic model in the beta-plane approximation. Rossby solitons (two-dimensional vortices exponentially localized in space which propagate without changing their form along the latitude circles) are considered in the first part of the article. The general properties of such solutions are discussed. The simplest examples are presented, and a brief review of the main results is given. The second part is dedicated to the theory of nonstationary monopoles. The physical mechanisms governing the evolution of such vortices are described; different stages of this evolution are determined for intense vortices. Analytical and numerical results are used to confirm the qualitative explanations.     

Nonlinear effects in the process of propagation of internal waves in the presence of turbulence

In the Boussinesq approximation, we study the nonlinear effects observed in the process of propagation of internal waves in the presence of turbulence. The space damping factor of the waves is evaluated. The Stokes drift velocity and the Euler velocity of the mean current induced by waves due to the presence of nonlinearity are determined. It is shown that the principal contribution to the wave transfer is made by the horizontal velocity of the induced current. The Stokes drift is significant only near the bottom. The vertical component of the Stokes drift velocity obtained with regard for the turbulent viscosity is nonzero.     

Self-localization of planetary wave structures in the ionosphere upon interaction with nonuniform geomagnetic field and zonal wind

The generation and further linear and nonlinear dynamics of planetary magnetized Rossby waves (MRWs) in the rotating dissipative ionosphere are studied in the presence of a zonal wind (shear flow). MRWs are caused by interaction with the spatially nonuniform geomagnetic field and are ionospheric manifestations of ordinary tropospheric Rossby waves. A simplified self-consistent set of model equations describing MRW-shear flow interaction is derived on the basis of complete equations of ionospheric magnetohydrodynamics. Based on an analysis of an exact analytical solution to the derived dynamic equations, an effective linear mechanism of MRW amplification in the interaction with nonuniform zonal wind is ascertained. It is shown that operators of linear problems are non-self-adjoint in the case of shear flows, and the corresponding eigenfunctions are nonorthogonal; therefore, the canonically modal approach is of little use when studying such flows; a so-called nonmodal mathematical analysis is required. It is ascertained that MRWs effectively get shear flow energy during the linear stage of evolution and significantly increase (by several orders of magnitude) their energy and amplitude. The necessary and sufficient condition of shear flow instability in an ionospheric medium is derived. Nonlinear self-localization begins with the development of shear instability and an increase in the amplitude, and the process ends with the self-organization of strongly localized isolated large-scale nonlinear vortex structures. Thus, a new degree of freedom and a way for perturbation evolution to occur appear in medium with shear flow. The nonlinear systems can be a pure monopole vortex, a vortex streets, or vortex chains depending of the shape of the sheared flow velocity profile. The accumulation of such vortices in the ionospheric medium can produce a strongly turbulent state.     

Experimental and numerical study of the effect of variable bathymetry on the slow-drift wave response of floating bodies

An experimental campaign is reported on the slow-drift motion of a rectangular barge moored at different positions along an inclined beach, at waterdepths ranging from 54 cm to 21 cm, and submitted to irregular beam seas. The beach is achieved by inclining the 24 m long false bottom of the tank at a slope of 5%, from a depth of 1.05 m. The slow-drift component of the measured sway motion is first compared with state-of-the-art calculations based on Newman’s approximation. At 54 cm depth a good agreement is obtained between calculations and measurements. At 21 cm depth the Newman calculations exceed the measured values. When the flat bottom setdown contribution is added up, the calculated values become 2 to 3 times larger than the measured ones. A second-order model is proposed to predict the shoaling of a bichromatic sea-state propagating in varying water-depth. This model is validated through comparisons with an extension of Schäffer’s model for a straight beach [Schäffer HA. Infragravity waves induced by short-wave groups. J Fluid Mech 1993;247:551-88] and with a fully nonlinear Boussinesq model. It appears that the long wave amplitude is much less than predicted by the flat bottom model, and that its phase difference with the short wave envelope also deviates from the flat bottom model prediction. As a result of this phase shift the actual second-order wave loads can be lower than predicted by Newman’s approximation alone. Application of the shoaling model to the barge tests yields a notably better agreement between numerical and experimental values of its slow-drift sway motion.     

PROPAGATION AND TRANSFORMATION OF NON-LINEAR WAVES ON UNIFORMLY SLOPING BEACHES Ⅰ. A SOLUTION FOR NON-LINEAR PROGRESSING WAVES

Two-dimensional non-linear hydrodynamical equations are solved by using perturbation method and treating slopping beaches as bottom boundary conditions so that a kind of solution for nonlinear progressing waves is obtained. The first order of approximation is the same potential function as used by Biesel, and the second order is calculated numerically. Based on the solution, wave characteristics before breaking, especially the wave set-down, are discussed. It turns out that for the whole course of waves propagating from deep to shallow waters the theory proposed in this paper has a wider valid range of application than others.