Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-v9fdk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-14T16:31:21.530Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

An investigation of internal gravity waves generated by a buoyantly rising fluid in a stratified medium

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 March 2006

T. I. Mclaren ,
A. D. Pierce ,
T. Fohl  and
B. L. Murphy
T. I. Mclaren
Affiliation:
Mt. Auburn Research Associates, Inc., Newton, Massachusetts
A. D. Pierce
Affiliation:
Mt. Auburn Research Associates, Inc., Newton, Massachusetts Permanent address : Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
T. Fohl
Affiliation:
Mt. Auburn Research Associates, Inc., Newton, Massachusetts Present address: Sylvania Electric Products, Inc., Lighting Division, Danvers, Massachusetts.
B. L. Murphy
Affiliation:
Mt. Auburn Research Associates, Inc., Newton, Massachusetts
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Experiments have been carried out to examine the spectrum of internal gravity waves excited in a stratified incompressible fluid during stabilization following the buoyant rise of a miscible fluid. The rise time of the buoyant fluid to its stabilization height in the stratified fluid was observed to be about 0.85 of the Brunt-Väisälä period for the stratified fluid. The motion of specific fluid elements in the wave field was observed using neutrally buoyant marker particles, and the particle trajectories were found to be in close accord with theoretical predictions. Observations on the internal waves generated by the forced oscillation of a spherical body suspended in the stratified medium showed the wave pattern to be well behaved and similar to that described by Mowbray & Rarity. However, the gravity wave field generated by the motion of the buoyant fluid was observed to be inhomogeneous and transient in nature. Wave periods from one to four times the Brunt-Väisälä period were clearly observed and at later times it appeared that the motion tended towards vertical oscillations a t the Brunt- Väisälä frequency.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Fluid Mechanics , Volume 57 , Issue 2 , 6 February 1973 , pp. 229 - 240
Copyright
© 1973 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

Gille, J. C. 1966 Acoustic gravity waves in the earth's atmosphere. Florida State University, Dept. of Meterology, Tech. Note, no. 66-7.Google Scholar
Hines, C. O. 1960 Internal atmospheric gravity waves at ionospheric heights. Can. J. Phys. 38, 1441. (Correction in Can. J. Phys. 42, 1424.)Google Scholar
Hurley, D. C. 1969 The emission of internal waves by vibrating cylinders. J. Fluid Mech. 36, 657.Google Scholar
Kahalas, S. L., Mclaren, T. I. & Murphy, B. L. 1972 Study of acoustic-gravity wave generation by nuclear detonations. Final Rep. Contract F44620-71-C-0086.Google Scholar
Morton, B. R., Taylor, G. I. & Turner, J. S. 1956 Turbulent gravitational convection from maintained and instantaneous sources. Proc. Roy. Soc. A 234, 1.Google Scholar
Mowbray, D. E. & Rarity, B. S. H. 1967a A theoretical and experimental investigation of the phase configuration of internal waves of small amplitude in a density stratified liquid. J. Fluid Mech. 28, 1.Google Scholar
Mowbray, D. E. & Rarity, B. X. H. 1967b The internal wave pattern produced by a sphere moving vertically in a density stratified liquid. J. Fluid Mech. 30, 489.Google Scholar
Pierce, A. D. 1963 Propagation of acoustic-gravity waves from a small source above the ground in an isothermal atmosphere. J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 35, 1798.Google Scholar
Pierce, A. D. 1965 The propagation of infrasonic waves in an isothermal atmosphere with constant winds. J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 39, 832.Google Scholar
Pierce, A. D. 1972 A model for acoustic-gravity wave excitation by buoyantly rising and oscillating air masses. Proc. Agard Meeting on Effects of Acoustic-Gravity Waves on Electromagnotic Wave Propagation, Wiesbaden, Germany. To be published.
Pierce, A. D. & Coroniti, S. C. 1966 A mechanism for the generation of acoustic-gravity waves during thunderstorm formation. Nature, 210, 1209.Google Scholar
Saunders, P. M. 1962 Penetrative connection in stably stratified fluids. Tellus, 2, 177.Google Scholar
Schooley, A. H. & Hughes, B. A. 1972 An experimental and theoretical study of internal waves generated by the collapse of a two-dimensional mixed region in a density gradient. J. Fluid Mech. 51, 159.Google Scholar
Tolstoy, I. 1963 The theory of waves in stratified fluids including the effects of gravity and rotation. Rev. Mod. Phys. 35, 207.Google Scholar
Tolstoy, I. & Lau, J. 1971 Generation of long internal gravity waves in waveguides by rising buoyant air masses and other sources. Geophys. J. Roy. Astron. Sac. 26, 1–4.Google Scholar
Warren, F. W. G. 1960 Wave resistance to vertical motion in a statified fluid. J. Fluid Mech. 7, 209.Google Scholar
Wu, J. 1969 Mixed region collapse with internal wave generation in a density stratified medium. J. Fluid Mech. 35. 531.Google Scholar