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On the growth, limiting thickness and dominant eddy scale of turbulent shearing layers in the atmosphere

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 April 2006

Martin Lessen ,
Albert Barcilon  and
Thomas E. Butler
Martin Lessen
Affiliation:
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Sciences, University of Rochester, New York 14627 Temporary address: U.S. Office of Naval Research, 223/231 Old Marylebone Road, London NW1 5TH.
Albert Barcilon
Affiliation:
Department of Meteorology and Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Institute, Florida State University, Tallahassee
Thomas E. Butler
Affiliation:
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Sciences, University of Rochester, New York 14627 Temporary address: Department of Aeronautics, Imperial College of Science and Technology, London SW7 2AZ.
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Abstract

The growth of an unbounded, density-stratified, turbulent shearing layer in the presence of a gravity field is studied using the postulate of marginal instability. It is found, for a similarity mean velocity and density distribution, that after a rapid initial growth rate the growth slows asymptotically to zero as the Richardson number approaches a value of 1/4. Furthermore, the theory predicts a constant dominant turbulent eddy scale in all but the initial stages of growth of the turbulent shearing layer.

Both the general growth characteristics and the constant dominant turbulent eddy scale predicted by the theory are confirmed by experimental data.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Fluid Mechanics , Volume 82 , Issue 3 , 27 September 1977 , pp. 449 - 454
Copyright
© 1977 Cambridge University Press

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