Experiments on steady buoyancy transfer through turbulent fluid layers separated by density interfaces

A laboratory experiment was performed to investigate mixing across a density interface which separates two turbulent fluid layers and coexists with a stabilizing buoyancy flux. It was found that the buoyancy flux (q₀) across the interface and through the turbulent layers (of depth D) becomes steady and constant in magnitude in the vertical direction, only when , where u is the horizontal r.m.s. velocity at the base of the mixed layers. The results suggest that mixing across the density interface is controlled by a dynamically important buoyancy gradient induced in the turbulent layers and that parameters such as the bulk Richardson number, , where Δb is the interfacial buoyancy jump, are of secondary importance. Measurements are used to infer the mixing mechanism at the interface, the mixing efficiency of stratified fluids and the entrainment law. Some geophysical applications of the results are also discussed.     

Assessment of the natural and anthropogenic sources of chemical elements in alluvial soils from the Drava River using multivariate statistical methods

The objectives of this study are as follows: (a) an assessment of the geochemical background signature of the Drava Valley before the industrial revolution; (b) an evaluation of anthropogenic geochemical influences on the alluvial plains and river terraces in the valley; and (c) a determination of the spatial distribution of trace elements in the alluvial soils of the Drava River downstream of the Austrian–Slovenian border to the confluence of Mura and Drava Rivers.     

Some approaches for location of centroids of quartz grain outlines to increase homology between Fourier amplitude spectra

The ability to test for similarities and differences among families of shapes by closed-form Fourier expansion is greatly enhanced by the concept of homology. Underlying this concept is the assumption that each term of a Fourier series, when compared to the same term in another series, represents the same thing. A method that ensures homology is one which minimizes the centering error, as reflected in the first harmonic term of the Fourier expansion. The problem is to chose a set of edge points derived from a much larger, but variable, number of edge points such that a valid homologous Fourier series can be calculated. Methods are reviewed and criteria given to define a proper solution. An algorithm is presented which takes advantage of the fact that minimization of the error term can be accomplished by minimizing the distance between the origin of the polar coordinate system in the calculation of the Fourier series and the shape centroid. The use of this algorithm has produced higher quality solutions for quartz grain provenance studies.     

Mutual Potential of Homogeneous Polyhedra

The mutual gravitational potential between a pair of homogeneous polyhedra is expressed using an infinite series. The nested volume integrals are evaluated analytically and result in simple tensor expressions containing no special functions. However, complexity increases as O(6 ⁿ ), where n is the term degree. An alternate formulation due to Liebenthal is also presented.