We used a compound matrix method to integrate the Orr–Sommerfeld equation in an investigation of short instability waves (λ < 6 cm) on the coupled shear flow at the air–sea interface under suddenly imposed wind (a gust model). The method is robust and fast, so that the effects of external variables on growth rate could easily be explored. As expected from past theoretical studies, the growth rate proved sensitive to air and water viscosity, and to the curvature of the air velocity profile very close to the interface. Surface tension had less influence, growth rate increasing somewhat with decreasing surface tension. Maximum growth rate and minimum wave speed nearly coincided for some combinations of fluid properties, but not for others.

The most important new finding is that, contrary to some past order of magnitude estimates made on theoretical grounds, the eigenfunctions at these short wavelengths are confined to a distance of the order of the viscous wave boundary-layer thickness from the interface. Correspondingly, the perturbation vorticity is high, the streamwise surface velocity perturbation in typical cases being five times the orbital velocity of free waves on an undisturbed water surface. The instability waves should therefore be thought of as fundamentally different flow structures from free waves: given their high vorticity, they are akin to incipient turbulent eddies. They may also be expected to break at a much lower steepness than free waves.

We consider the nonlinear optimisation of irreversible mixing induced by an initial finite amplitude perturbation of a statically stable density-stratified fluid with kinematic viscosity $\unicode[STIX]{x1D708}$ and density diffusivity $\unicode[STIX]{x1D705}$. The initial diffusive error function density distribution varies continuously so that $\unicode[STIX]{x1D70C}\in [\bar{\unicode[STIX]{x1D70C}}-\unicode[STIX]{x1D70C}_{0}/2,\bar{\unicode[STIX]{x1D70C}}+\unicode[STIX]{x1D70C}_{0}/2]$. A constant pressure gradient is imposed in a plane two-dimensional channel of depth $2h$. We consider flows with a finite Péclet number $Pe=U_{m}h/\unicode[STIX]{x1D705}=500$ and Prandtl number $Pr=\unicode[STIX]{x1D708}/\unicode[STIX]{x1D705}=1$, and a range of bulk Richardson numbers $Ri_{b}=g\unicode[STIX]{x1D70C}_{0}h/(\bar{\unicode[STIX]{x1D70C}}U^{2})\in [0,1]$ where $U_{m}$ is the maximum flow speed of the laminar parallel flow, and $g$ is the gravitational acceleration. We use the constrained variational direct-adjoint-looping (DAL) method to solve two optimisation problems, extending the optimal mixing results of Foures et al. (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 748, 2014, pp. 241–277) to stratified flows, where the irreversible mixing of the active scalar density leads to a conversion of kinetic energy into potential energy. We identify initial perturbations of fixed finite kinetic energy which maximise the time-averaged perturbation kinetic energy developed over a finite time interval, and initial perturbations that minimise the value (at a target time, chosen to be $T=10$) of a ‘mix-norm’ as first introduced by Mathew et al. (Physica D, vol. 211, 2005, pp. 23–46), further discussed by Thiffeault (Nonlinearity, vol. 25, 2012, pp. 1–44) and shown by Foures et al. (2014) to be a computationally efficient and robust proxy for identifying perturbations that minimise the long-time variance of a scalar distribution. We demonstrate, for all bulk Richardson numbers considered, that the time-averaged kinetic-energy maximising perturbations are significantly suboptimal at mixing compared to the mix-norm minimising perturbations, and also that minimising the mix-norm remains (for density-stratified flows) a good proxy for identifying perturbations which minimise the variance at long times. Although increasing stratification reduces the mixing in general, mix-norm minimising optimal perturbations can still trigger substantial mixing for $Ri_{b}\lesssim 0.3$. By considering the time evolution of the kinetic energy and potential energy reservoirs, we find that such perturbations lead to a flow which, through Taylor dispersion, very effectively converts perturbation kinetic energy into ‘available potential energy’, which in turn leads rapidly and irreversibly to thorough and efficient mixing, with little energy returned to the kinetic-energy reservoirs.

Accurate prediction of the spatial evolution of turbulent wake flows under pressure gradient conditions is required in some engineering applications such as the design of high-lift devices and wind farms over topography. In this paper, we aim to develop an analytical model to predict the evolution of a turbulent planar wake under an arbitrary pressure gradient condition. The model is based on the cross-stream integration of the streamwise momentum equation and uses the self-similarity of the mean flow. We have also made an experimentally supported assumption that the ratio of the maximum velocity deficit to the wake width is independent of the imposed pressure gradient. The asymptotic response of the wake to the pressure gradient is also investigated. After its derivation, the model is successfully validated against experimental data by comparing the evolution of the wake width and maximum velocity deficit. The inputs of the model are the imposed pressure gradient and the wake width under zero pressure gradient. The model does not require any parameter tuning and is deemed to be practical, computationally fast, accurate enough, and therefore useful for the scientific and engineering communities.

Axisymmetric flow of viscous incompressible fluid between a rotating porous disk and an impermeable fixed plane is investigated. It is shown that with injection and suction through a porous disk rotating with sufficiently large angular velocity there are many isolated steady self-similar solutions. In the case of suction through a fixed porous disk at a certain Reynolds number there exists bifurcation of the stable rotational regime of flow, implying a spontaneous break of the flow symmetry and an arbitrary rise of the fluid rotation within the framework of self-similarity. This unusual effect is discussed in detail, and the results of a relevant experiment are presented. Another unusual result is the existence of multicellular regimes consistent with suction, when the lift force acting on a rapidly rotating porous disk is anomalously large; in this case some of these regimes are stable relative to self-similar perturbations.

With sufficiently strong suction and rotation the stationary solution with large lift becomes unstable and the regime of self-oscillations arises. Diagrams of the possible stationary flow regimes have been constructed, and the stable ones have been identified. At the limit of vanishing viscosity we find, in the case of the suction, non-classical boundary layers on the solid surfaces characterized by a finite jump of the normal component of the velocity and unlimited tangential components. In this limit, in the interior flow region the singular non-viscous solution with an infinite velocity of rotation arises, while all limited non-singular admissible non-viscous solutions are not stable.

This work develops a methodology for approximating the shape of leading resolvent modes for incompressible, quasi-parallel, shear-driven turbulent flows using prescribed analytic functions. We demonstrate that these functions, which arise from the consideration of wavepacket pseudoeigenmodes of simplified linear operators (Trefethen, Proceedings of the Royal Society of London A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, vol. 461, 2005, pp. 3099–3122. The Royal Society), give an accurate approximation for the energetically dominant wall-normal vorticity component of a class of nominally wall-detached modes that are centred about the critical layer. We validate our method on a model operator related to the Squire equation, and show for this simplified case how wavepacket pseudomodes relate to truncated asymptotic expansions of Airy functions. Following the framework developed in McKeon & Sharma (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 658, 2010, pp. 336–382), we next apply a sequence of simplifications to the resolvent formulation of the Navier–Stokes equations to arrive at a scalar differential operator that is amenable to such analysis. The first simplification decomposes the resolvent operator into Orr–Sommerfeld and Squire suboperators, following Rosenberg & McKeon (Fluid Dyn. Res., vol. 51, 2019, 011401). The second simplification relates the leading resolvent response modes of the Orr–Sommerfeld suboperator to those of a simplified scalar differential operator – which is the Squire operator equipped with a non-standard inner product. This characterisation provides a mathematical framework for understanding the origin of leading resolvent mode shapes for the incompressible Navier–Stokes resolvent operator, and allows for rapid estimation of dominant resolvent mode characteristics without the need for operator discretisation or large numerical computations. We explore regions of validity for this method, and show that it can predict resolvent response mode shape (though not necessary the corresponding resolvent gain) over a wide range of spatial wavenumbers and temporal frequencies. In particular, we find that our method remains relatively accurate even when the modes have some amount of ‘attachment’ to the wall, and that that the region of validity contains the regions in parameter space where large-scale and very-large-scale motions typically reside. We relate these findings to classical lift-up and Orr amplification mechanisms in shear-driven flows.

Observations and models of deep ocean boundary currents show that they exhibit complex variability, instabilities and eddy shedding, particularly over continental slopes that curve horizontally, for example around coastal peninsulas. In this article the authors investigate the source of this variability by characterizing the properties of baroclinic instability in mean flows over horizontally curved bottom slopes. The classical two-layer quasi-geostrophic solution for linear baroclinic instability over sloping bottom topography is extended to the case of azimuthal mean flow in an annular channel. To facilitate comparison with the classical straight channel instability problem of uniform mean flow, the authors focus on comparatively simple flows in an annulus, namely uniform azimuthal velocity and solid-body rotation. Baroclinic instability in solid-body rotation flow is analytically analogous to the instability in uniform straight channel flow due to several identical properties of the mean flow, including vanishing strain rate and vorticity gradient. The instability of uniform azimuthal flow is numerically similar to straight channel flow instability as long as the mean barotropic azimuthal velocity is zero. Non-zero barotropic flow generally suppresses the instability via horizontal curvature-induced strain and Reynolds stress work. An exception occurs when the ratio of the bathymetric to isopycnal slopes is close to (positive) one, as is often observed in the ocean, in which case the instability is enhanced. A non-vanishing mean barotropic flow component also results in a larger number of growing eigenmodes and in increased non-normal growth. The implications of these findings for variability in deep western boundary currents are discussed.

This paper presents an experimental study on internal waves emitted by a horizontally oscillating torus in a linearly stratified fluid. Two internal wave cones are generated with the kinetic energy focused at the apices of the cones above and below the torus where the wave amplitude is maximal. Their motion is measured via tracking of distortions of horizontal fluorescein dye planes created prior to the experiments and illuminated by a vertical laser sheet. The distortion of the dye planes gives a direct access to the Lagrangian displacement of local wave amplitudes and slopes, and in particular, allows us to calculate a local Richardson number. In addition particle image velocimetry measurements are used. Maximum wave slopes are found in the focal region and close to the surface of the torus. As the amplitude of oscillations of the torus increases, wave profiles in the regions of maximum wave slopes evolve nonlinearly toward local overturning. A theoretical approximation based on the theory of Hurley & Keady (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 351, 1997, pp. 119–138) is presented and shows, for small amplitudes of oscillation, a very reasonable agreement with the experimental data. For the focal region the internal wave amplitude is found to be overestimated by the theory. The wave breaking in the focal region is investigated as a function of the Keulegan–Carpenter number, $Ke=A/a$, with $A$ the oscillation amplitude and $a$ the short radius of the torus. A linear wave regime is found for $Ke<0.4$, nonlinear effects start at $Ke\approx 0.6$ and breaking for $Ke>0.8$. For large forcing, the measured wave amplitude normalized with the oscillation amplitude decreases almost everywhere in the wave field, but increases locally in the focal region due to nonlinear effects. Due to geometric focusing the amplitude of the wave increases with $\sqrt{\unicode[STIX]{x1D716}}$, with $\unicode[STIX]{x1D716}=b/a$ and $b$ is the mean radius of the torus. The relevance of wave focusing due to ocean topography is discussed.

The effect of a weak convective heat transfer on the thermocapillary interaction of two bubbles migrating in an externally imposed temperature gradient is examined. It is shown that, for short and moderate separation distances, the corrections to the individual migration velocities of the bubbles are of O(Pe), where Pe is Péclet number. For separation distances larger than O(Pe−1/2) the correction is of O(Pe2) as previously found for an isolated drop. The perturbations to the bubble velocities have opposite signs: the motion of the leading bubble is enhanced while the motion of the trailing one is retarded. A newly found feature is that equal-sized bubbles, which otherwise would move with equal velocities, acquire a relative motion apart from each other under the influence of convection. For slightly unequal bubbles there are three different regimes of large-time asymptotic behaviour: attraction up to the collision, infinite growth of the separation distance, and a steady migration with equal velocities, the steady motion separation distance being a function of the parameters of the problem. Sufficient conditions for the realization of each regime are given in terms of the Péclet number, initial separation and radii ratio.

A model for steady flow in a ventilated space containing a heat source is developed, taking account of the main heat transfers at the upper and lower boundaries. The space has an opening at low level, allowing cool ambient air to enter the space, and an opening near the ceiling, allowing warm air to leave the space. The flow is driven by the temperature contrast between the air inside and outside the space (natural ventilation). Conductive heat transfer through the ceiling and radiant heat transfer from the ceiling to the floor are incorporated into the model, to investigate how these heat transports affect the flow and temperature distribution within the space. In the steady state, a layer of warm air occupies the upper part of the space, with the lower part of the space filled with cooler air (although this is warmer than the ambient air when the radiant transfer from ceiling to floor is included). Suitable scales are derived for the heat transfers, so that their relative importance can be characterized. Explicit relationships are found between the height of the interface, the opening area and the relative size of the heat transfers. Increasing heat conduction leads to a lowering of the interface height, while the inclusion of the radiant transfer tends to increase the interface height. Both of these effects are relatively small, but the effect on the temperatures of the layers is significant. Conductive heat transfer through the upper boundary leads to a significant lowering of the temperature in the space as a proportion of the injected heat flux is taken out of the space by conduction rather than advection. Radiative transfer from the ceiling to floor results in the lower layer becoming warmer than the ambient air. The results of the model are compared with full-scale laboratory results and a more complex unsteady model, and are shown to give results that are much more accurate than models which ignore the heat transfers.

We study formation and properties of new coherent structures: ageostrophic modons in the two-layer rotating shallow water model. The ageostrophic modons are obtained by ‘ageostrophic adjustment’ of the exact modon solutions of the two-layer quasi-geostrophic equations with the free surface, which are used to initialize the full two-layer shallow water model. Numerical simulations are performed using a well-balanced high-resolution finite volume numerical scheme. For large enough Rossby numbers, the initial configurations undergo ageostrophic adjustment towards asymmetric ageostrophic quasi-stationary coherent dipoles. This process is accompanied by substantial emission of inertia–gravity waves. The resulting dipole is shown to be robust and survives frontal collisions. It contains captured inertia–gravity waves and, for higher Rossby numbers and weak stratification, carries a (baroclinic) hydraulic jump at its axis. For stronger stratifications and high enough Rossby numbers, ‘rider’ coherent structures appear as a result of adjustment, with a monopole in one layer and a dipole in another. Other ageostrophic coherent structures, such as two-layer tripoles and two-layer modons with nonlinear scatter plot, result from the collisions of ageostrophic modons. They are shown to be long-living and robust, and to capture waves.

Axisymmetric gravity currents released from behind a lock over a solid horizontal bottom in a system rotating about a vertical axis are investigated. The major parameters are $\C$, the ratio of Coriolis to inertia forces, and $H$, the ratio of the total height of the ambient fluid into which propagation occurs to the initial height of the dense fluid inside the lock. We focus attention on the small $\C$, almost inviscid case in which a significant radius of propagation is obtained. A two-layer shallow-water inviscid approximation is developed and it is shown that the angular velocities in the upper and lower layers are coupled by simple relationships which can be used to simplify both the time-dependent and the steady-state lens solutions. However, the major features predicted by the two-layer model differ only slightly from these obtained with a one-layer model. Finite-difference solutions of the full Navier–Stokes equations are also presented and compared with the shallow-water approximations.

The paper considers the derivation and properties of the Fanno model for nearly unidirectional turbulent flow of gas in a tube. The model is relevant to many industrial processes. Approximate solutions are derived and numerically validated for evolving flows of initially small amplitude, and these solutions reveal the prevalence of localized large-time behaviour, which is in contrast to inviscid acoustic theory. The properties of large-amplitude travelling waves are summarized, which are also surprising when compared to those of inviscid theory.

We consider freely decaying two-dimensional isotropic turbulence. It is usually assumed that, in such turbulence, the energy spectrum at small wavenumber, k, takes the form E(k → 0) ∼ Ik3, where I is the two-dimensional version of Loitsyansky's integral. However, a second possibility is E(k → 0) ∼ Lk, where the pre-factor, L, is the two-dimensional analogue of Saffman's integral. We show that, as in three dimensions, L is an invariant and that E ∼ Lk spectra arise whenever the eddies possess a significant amount of linear impulse. The conservation of L is shown to be a direct consequence of the principle of conservation of linear momentum. We also show that isotropic turbulence dominated by a cloud of randomly located monopole vortices has a singular energy spectrum of the form E(k → 0) ∼ Jk−1, where J, like L, is an invariant. However, while E ∼ Jk−1 necessarily implies the existence of a sea of monopoles, the converse need not be true: a sea of monopoles whose spatial locations are not entirely random, but constrained in some way, need not give a E ∼ Jk−1 spectra. The constraint imposed by the conservation of energy is particularly important, ruling out E ∼ Jk−1 spectra for certain classes of initial conditions. Finally, we provide simple explicit examples of random vorticity fields with E ∼ Ik3, E ∼ Lk and E ∼ Jk−1 spectra.

A model devised by Thorpe & Li (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 758, 2014, pp. 94–120) that predicts the conditions in which stationary turbulent hydraulic jumps can occur in the flow of a continuously stratified layer over a horizontal rigid bottom is applied to, and its results compared with, observations made at several locations in the ocean. The model identifies two positions in the Samoan Passage at which hydraulic jumps should occur and where changes in the structure of the flow are indeed observed. The model predicts the amplitude of changes and the observed mode 2 form of the transitions. The predicted dissipation of turbulent kinetic energy is also consistent with observations. One location provides a particularly well-defined example of a persistent hydraulic jump. It takes the form of a 390 m thick and 3.7 km long mixing layer with frequent density inversions separated from the seabed by some 200 m of relatively rapidly moving dense water, thus revealing the previously unknown structure of an internal hydraulic jump in the deep ocean. Predictions in the Red Sea Outflow in the Gulf of Aden are relatively uncertain. Available data, and the model predictions, do not provide strong support for the existence of hydraulic jumps. In the Mediterranean Outflow, however, both model and data indicate the presence of a hydraulic jump.

We consider the propagation of water waves in a waveguide with a surface-piercing circular cylinder. A plane wave interacting with the cylinder leads to a Fano resonance resulting in strong scattering with a large reflection coefficient. Using a smoothly varying bathymetry whose shape is optimized, we show both numerically and experimentally that broadband and robust backscattering reduction can be obtained below the first cutoff frequency.

The nature of a three-dimensional viscous flow along a corner near its junction has been clarified in this paper by constructing a Stokes slow-flow solution. We have further demonstrated that this Stokes solution can be matched onto an inertial-flow solution in principle by establishing an overlap domain along one sector of an inertial-flow region, namely along the flow symmetry line. This Stokes solution reveals a remarkably complex structure of the flow as characterized by a separating streamwise velocity profile in addition to a sequence of Moffatt's viscous eddies in a cross-flow plane.