The atmospheric boundary layer is the level of the atmosphere where all human activities occur. It is a layer characterized by its turbulent flow state, meaning that the velocity, temperature and scalar concentrations fluctuate over scales that range from less than a millimetre to several kilometres. It is those fluctuations that make dispersion of pollutants and transport of heat, momentum as well as scalars such as carbon dioxide or cloud-condensation nuclei efficient. It is also the layer where a ‘hand-shake’ occurs between activities on the land surface and the climate system, primarily due to the action of large energetic swirling motions or eddies. The atmospheric boundary layer experiences dramatic transitions depending on whether the underlying surface is being heated or cooled. The existing paradigm describing the size and energetics of large-scale and very large-scale eddies in turbulent flows has been shaped by decades of experiments and simulations on smooth pipes and channels with no surface heating or cooling. The emerging picture, initiated by A. A. Townsend in 1951, is that large- and very large-scale motions appear to be approximated by a collection of hairpin-shaped vortices whose population density scales inversely with distance from the boundary. How does surface heating, quintessential to the atmospheric boundary layer, alter this canonical picture? What are the implications of such a buoyancy force on the geometry and energy distribution across velocity components in those large eddies? How do these large eddies modulate small eddies near the ground? Answering these questions and tracking their consequences to existing theories used today to describe the flow statistics in the atmospheric boundary layer are addressed in the work of Salesky & Anderson (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 856, 2018, pp. 135–168). The findings are both provocative and surprisingly simple.

We develop a physical and computational model for performing fully coupled, grain-resolved direct numerical simulations of cohesive sediment, based on the immersed boundary method. The model distributes the cohesive forces over a thin shell surrounding each particle, thereby allowing for the spatial and temporal resolution of the cohesive forces during particle–particle interactions. The influence of the cohesive forces is captured by a single dimensionless parameter in the form of a cohesion number, which represents the ratio of cohesive and gravitational forces acting on a particle. We test and validate the cohesive force model for binary particle interactions in the drafting–kissing–tumbling (DKT) configuration. Cohesive sediment grains can remain attached to each other during the tumbling phase following the initial collision, thereby giving rise to the formation of flocs. The DKT simulations demonstrate that cohesive particle pairs settle in a preferred orientation, with particles of very different sizes preferentially aligning themselves in the vertical direction, so that the smaller particle is drafted in the wake of the larger one. This preferred orientation of cohesive particle pairs is found to remain influential for systems of higher complexity. To this end, we perform large simulations of 1261 polydisperse settling particles starting from rest. These simulations reproduce several earlier experimental observations by other authors, such as the accelerated settling of sand and silt particles due to particle bonding, the stratification of cohesive sediment deposits, and the consolidation process of the deposit. They identify three characteristic phases of the polydisperse settling process, viz. (i) initial stir-up phase with limited flocculation, (ii) enhanced settling phase characterized by increased flocculation, and (iii) consolidation phase. The simulations demonstrate that cohesive forces accelerate the overall settling process primarily because smaller grains attach to larger ones and settle in their wakes. For the present cohesive number values, we observe that settling can be accelerated by up to 29 %. We propose physically based parametrization of classical hindered settling functions introduced by earlier authors, in order to account for cohesive forces. An investigation of the energy budget shows that, even though the work of the collision forces is much smaller than that of the hydrodynamic drag forces, it can substantially modify the relevant energy conversion processes.

Manifestly Markovian closures for the interaction of two-dimensional inhomogeneous turbulent flows with Rossby waves and topography are formulated and compared with large ensembles of direct numerical simulations (DNS) on a generalized $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FD}$-plane. Three versions of the Markovian inhomogeneous closure (MIC) are established from the quasi-diagonal direct interaction approximation (QDIA) theory by modifying the response function to a Markovian form and employing respectively the current-time (quasi-stationary) fluctuation dissipation theorem (FDT), the prior-time (non-stationary) FDT and the correlation FDT. Markov equations for the triad relaxation functions are derived that carry similar information to the time-history integrals of the non-Markovian QDIA closure but become relatively more efficient for long integrations. Far from equilibrium processes are studied, where the impact of a westerly mean flow on a conical mountain generates large-amplitude Rossby waves in a turbulent environment, over a period of 10 days. Excellent agreement between the evolved mean streamfunction and mean and transient kinetic energy spectra are found for the three versions of the MIC and two variants of the non-Markovian QDIA compared with an ensemble of 1800 DNS. In all cases mean Rossby wavetrain pattern correlations between the closures and the DNS ensemble are greater than 0.9998.

Damped internal wave beams in stratified fluids have long been known to generate strong mean flows through a mechanism analogous to acoustic streaming. While the role of viscous boundary layers in acoustic streaming has been thoroughly addressed, it remains largely unexplored in the case of internal waves. Here we compute the mean flow generated close to an undulating wall that emits internal waves in a viscous, linearly stratified two-dimensional Boussinesq fluid. Using a quasi-linear approach, we demonstrate that the form of the boundary conditions dramatically impacts the generated boundary streaming. In the no-slip scenario, the early-time Reynolds stress divergence within the viscous boundary layer is much stronger than within the bulk while also driving flow in the opposite direction. Whatever the boundary condition, boundary streaming is however dominated by bulk streaming at larger time. Using a Wentzel–Kramers–Brillouin approach, we investigate the consequences of adding boundary streaming effects to an idealised model of wave–mean flow interactions known to reproduce the salient features of the quasi-biennial oscillation. The presence of wave boundary layers has a quantitative impact on the flow reversals.

We study numerically the dynamics of an insoluble surfactant-laden droplet in a simple shear flow taking surface viscosity into account. The rheology of drop surface is modelled via a Boussinesq–Scriven constitutive law with both surface tension and surface viscosity depending strongly on the surface concentration of the surfactant. Our results show that the surface viscosity exhibits non-trivial effects on the surfactant transport on the deforming drop surface. Specifically, both dilatational and shear surface viscosity tend to eliminate the non-uniformity of surfactant concentration over the drop surface. However, their underlying mechanisms are entirely different; that is, the shear surface viscosity inhibits local convection due to its suppression on drop surface motion, while the dilatational surface viscosity inhibits local dilution due to its suppression on local surface dilatation. By comparing with previous studies of droplets with surface viscosity but with no surfactant transport, we find that the coupling between surface viscosity and surfactant transport induces non-negligible deviations in the dynamics of the whole droplet. More particularly, we demonstrate that the dependence of surface viscosity on local surfactant concentration has remarkable influences on the drop deformation. Besides, we analyse the full three-dimensional shape of surfactant-laden droplets in simple shear flow and observe that the drop shape can be approximated as an ellipsoid. More importantly, this ellipsoidal shape can be described by a standard ellipsoidal equation with only one unknown owing to the finding of an unexpected relationship among the drop’s three principal axes. Moreover, this relationship remains the same for both clean and surfactant-laden droplets with or without surface viscosity.

In this investigation, a data-driven turbulence closure framework is introduced and deployed for the subgrid modelling of Kraichnan turbulence. The novelty of the proposed method lies in the fact that snapshots from high-fidelity numerical data are used to inform artificial neural networks for predicting the turbulence source term through localized grid-resolved information. In particular, our proposed methodology successfully establishes a map between inputs given by stencils of the vorticity and the streamfunction along with information from two well-known eddy-viscosity kernels. Through this we predict the subgrid vorticity forcing in a temporally and spatially dynamic fashion. Our study is both a priori and a posteriori in nature. In the former, we present an extensive hyper-parameter optimization analysis in addition to learning quantification through probability-density-function-based validation of subgrid predictions. In the latter, we analyse the performance of our framework for flow evolution in a classical decaying two-dimensional turbulence test case in the presence of errors related to temporal and spatial discretization. Statistical assessments in the form of angle-averaged kinetic energy spectra demonstrate the promise of the proposed methodology for subgrid quantity inference. In addition, it is also observed that some measure of a posteriori error must be considered during optimal model selection for greater accuracy. The results in this article thus represent a promising development in the formalization of a framework for generation of heuristic-free turbulence closures from data.

Direct numerical simulations are used to characterize wind-shear effects on entrainment in a barotropic convective boundary layer (CBL) that grows into a linearly stratified atmosphere. We consider weakly to strongly unstable conditions $-z_{enc}/L_{Ob}\gtrsim 4$, where $z_{enc}$ is the encroachment CBL depth and $L_{Ob}$ is the Obukhov length. Dimensional analysis allows us to characterize such a sheared CBL by a normalized CBL depth, a Froude number and a Reynolds number. The first two non-dimensional quantities embed the dependence of the system on time, on the surface buoyancy flux, and on the buoyancy stratification and wind velocity in the free atmosphere. We show that the dependence of entrainment-zone properties on these two non-dimensional quantities can be expressed in terms of just one independent variable, the ratio between a shear scale $(\unicode[STIX]{x0394}z_{i})_{s}\equiv \sqrt{1/3}\unicode[STIX]{x0394}u/N_{0}$ and a convective scale $(\unicode[STIX]{x0394}z_{i})_{c}\equiv 0.25z_{enc}$, where $\unicode[STIX]{x0394}u$ is the velocity increment across the entrainment zone, and $N_{0}$ is the buoyancy frequency of the free atmosphere. Here $(\unicode[STIX]{x0394}z_{i})_{s}$ and $(\unicode[STIX]{x0394}z_{i})_{c}$ represent the entrainment-zone thickness in the limits of weak convective instability (strong wind) and strong convective instability (weak wind), respectively. We derive scaling laws for the CBL depth, the entrainment-zone thickness, the mean entrainment velocity and the entrainment-flux ratio as functions of $(\unicode[STIX]{x0394}z_{i})_{s}/(\unicode[STIX]{x0394}z_{i})_{c}$. These scaling laws can also be expressed as functions of only a Richardson number $(N_{0}z_{enc}/\unicode[STIX]{x0394}u)^{2}$, but not in terms of only the stability parameter $-z_{enc}/L_{Ob}$.

We study the flow and transport of heat or mass, modelled as passive scalars, within a basic geometrical unit of a three-dimensional multipolar flow – a triangular prism – characterised by a side length $L$, a normalised thickness $0.01\leqslant \unicode[STIX]{x1D700}\leqslant 0.1$ and an apex angle $0<\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC}<\unicode[STIX]{x03C0}$, and connected to inlet and outlet pipes of equal normalised radius $0.01\leqslant \unicode[STIX]{x1D6FF}\leqslant 0.1$ perpendicularly to the plane of the flow. The flow and scalar fields are investigated over the range $0.1\leqslant Re_{p}\leqslant 10$ and $0.1\leqslant Pe_{p}\leqslant 1000$, where $Re_{p}$ and $Pe_{p}$ are respectively the Reynolds and Péclet numbers imposed at the inlet pipe when either a Dirichlet ($\text{D}$) or a Neumann ($\text{N}$) scalar boundary condition is imposed at the wall unattached to the inlets and outlets. A scalar no-flux boundary condition is imposed at all the other walls. An axisymmetric model is applied to understand the flow and scalar transport in the inlet and outlet regions, which consist of a turning region close to the pipe centreline and a channel region away from it. A separate two-dimensional model is then developed for the channel region by solving the integral form of the momentum and scalar advection–diffusion equations. Analytical relations between geometrical, flow and scalar transport parameters based on similarity and integral methods are generated and agree closely with numerical solutions. Finally, three-dimensional numerical calculations are undertaken to test the validity of the axisymmetric and depth-averaged analyses. Dominant flow and scalar transport features vary dramatically across the flow domain. In the turning region, the flow is a largely irrotational straining flow when $\unicode[STIX]{x1D700}\geqslant \unicode[STIX]{x1D6FF}$ and a dominantly viscous straining flow when $\unicode[STIX]{x1D700}\ll \unicode[STIX]{x1D6FF}$. The thickness of the scalar boundary layer scales to the local Péclet number to the power $1/3$. The diffusive flux $j_{d}$ and the scalar $C_{s}$ at the wall where ($\text{D}$) or ($\text{N}$) is imposed, respectively, are constant. In the channel region, the flow is parabolic and dominated by a source flow near the inlet and an irrotational straining flow away from it. When $(\text{D})$ is imposed the scalar decreases exponentially with distance from the inlet and the normalised scalar transfer coefficient converges to $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6EC}_{\infty }=2.5694$. When $(\text{N})$ is imposed, $C_{s}$ varies proportionally to surface area. Transport in the straining region downstream of the inlet is diffusion-limited, and $j_{d}$ and $C_{s}$ are functions of the geometrical parameters $L$, $\unicode[STIX]{x1D700}$, $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC}$ and $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FF}$. In addition to describing the fundamental properties of the flow and passive transport in multipolar configurations, the present work demonstrates how geometrical and flow parameters should be set to control transfers in the different regions of the flow domain.

Large-scale coherent structures such as jets in Rayleigh–Bénard convection and related systems are receiving increasing attention. This paper studies, both numerically and theoretically, the process of jet formation in two-dimensional salt-finger convection. The approach utilizes an asymptotically derived system of equations referred to as the modified Rayleigh–Bénard convection (MRBC) model, valid in the geophysically and astrophysically relevant limit in which the solute diffuses much more slowly than heat. In these equations, convection is driven by a destabilizing salinity gradient while the effects of the stabilizing temperature gradient manifest themselves as an additional anisotropic dissipation acting on large scales. The MRBC system is specified by two external parameters: the Schmidt number $\mathit{Sc}$ (ratio of viscosity to solutal diffusivity) and the Rayleigh ratio $\mathit{Ra}$ (ratio between the Rayleigh numbers of the destabilizing solutal stratification and the stabilizing thermal stratification). Two distinct $\mathit{Ra}$ regimes are explored for fixed $\mathit{Sc}=1$. In all cases studied the system develops a horizontal jet structure that is maintained self-consistently by turbulent fluctuations, but coarsens over time. For intermediate Rayleigh ratios (e.g. $\mathit{Ra}=6$), the MRBC model captures the relaxation oscillations superposed on the jet structure observed at similar parameter values in direct numerical simulations of the primitive equations. For smaller Rayleigh ratios (e.g. $\mathit{Ra}=2$), a regime for which direct numerical simulation of the primitive equations is difficult because of the presence of fast gravity waves, the MRBC model reveals the existence of statistically steady jets whose properties are studied in detail. Three hierarchical models, the MRBC and further reductions in the form of quasilinear and single-mode approximations, are used to confirm that jets form and are sustained as a result of the interaction between fluctuations (salt fingers) and large-scale horizontally averaged horizontal flows (jets). Even though the small-scale structures exhibited by the three models exhibit clear differences, all three produce the same power-law spectrum of the mean fields at large vertical scales: in all, the spectrum of the mean streamfunction scales as $m^{-3}$ and the mean salinity field scales as $m^{-1}$, with $m$ the vertical wavenumber. A theoretical explanation of these observations based on the dominant balances in the mean and fluctuation equations is provided. As a consequence, the jets have a zigzag profile, a conclusion that is consistent with numerical simulations. Based on numerical observations, a three-component phenomenological model consisting of a linearly growing mode, a linearly damped mode and a mean mode is proposed to explain the observed transition from statistically steady jet structure to jets with superposed oscillations that takes place with increasing Rayleigh ratio.

A direct numerical simulation study is conducted to investigate sinusoidal oscillatory flow over a two-dimensional wavy wall. The height and wavelength of the bottom profile, and the period and amplitude of the free-stream oscillation, are selected to mimic a wave-driven boundary layer over vortex ripples on a sandy seabed. Two cases with different Reynolds numbers $(Re)$ are considered, and the higher-$Re$ case achieves a fully developed turbulent state with a wide separation between the energy-containing and dissipative scales. The oscillatory flow is characterized by coherent columnar vortices, which are the main transport agents of turbulent kinetic energy and enstrophy. Two classes of coherent vortices are observed: (i) a primary vortex formed at the lee side of the ripple by flow separation at the crest; (ii) a secondary vortex formed beneath the primary vortex by vortex-induced separation. When the free-stream velocity weakens, these vortices form a counter-rotating vortex dipole and eject themselves over the crest with their mutual induction. Turbulence production peaks twice in a half-cycle; during the formation of the primary vortex and during the ejection of the vortex dipole. The intensity of the former peak remains low in the lower-$Re$ case, as the vortex dipole follows a higher altitude trajectory limiting its interactions with the bottom, and leaving minimal residual turbulence around the ripples for the subsequent half-cycle. Flow snapshots and spectral analysis reveal two dominant three-dimensional features: (i) an energetic vortex mode with a preferred spanwise wavelength close to the ripple wavelength; (ii) streamwise vortical structures in near-wall regions with a relatively shorter spanwise spacing influenced by viscous effects. The vortex mode becomes strong when the cores of the vortices are strained to an elliptical form while moving towards the crest. Following the detachment of the vortices from the ripple, the vortex mode in the higher-$Re$ case breaks down the spanwise coherence of the columnar vortices and decomposes them into intermittent patches of turbulent vortex clusters. The distribution of wall shear stress over the ripple is also analysed in detail. The peak values are observed near the ripple crest around the ejection of the vortex dipole and the maximum free-stream velocity. In the former, both the vortex mode and streamwise vortices have strong footprints on the wall, yielding a bimodal wall-shear-stress spectrum with two distinctive peaks. In the second high-stress regime, decaying coherent vortices impose strong inhomogeneity on the wall shear stress as their wall-attached parts sweep the ripples. These spanwise variations in the wall shear provide insights into the instability of two-dimensional sand ripples.

In this paper, flow over a streamwise oscillating circular cylinder is numerically simulated to examine the effects of the driving amplitude and frequency on the distribution of the lock-in regions in laminar flows. At $Re=100$, lock-in is categorized according to the spectral features of the lift coefficient as two different lock-in phenomena: harmonic and subharmonic lock-in. These lock-in phenomena are represented as maps on the driving amplitude–frequency plane, which have subharmonic lock-in regions and two harmonic lock-in regions. The frequency range of the subharmonic region is shifted to lower frequencies with increasing amplitude, and the lower boundary of this subharmonic region is successfully predicted. A symmetric harmonic region with a symmetric vortex pattern is observed in a certain velocity range for a moving cylinder. Aerodynamic features induced by different flow patterns in each region are presented on the driving amplitude–frequency plane. The lock-in region and aerodynamic features at $Re=200$ and $40$ are compared with the results for $Re=100$. A subharmonic region and two harmonic regions are observed at $Re=200$, and these show the same features as for $Re=100$ at a low driving amplitude. Lock-in at $Re=40$ also shows one subharmonic region and two harmonic regions. However, compared with the $Re=100$ case, the symmetric harmonic lock-in is dominant. The features of aerodynamic force at $Re=200$ and $40$ are represented on a force map, which shows similar characteristics in corresponding regions for the $Re=100$ case.

We propose an alternative to the prevailing framework for modelling tear-film breakup, which posits a layered structure with a mucus layer next to the cornea and an aqueous layer on top. Experimental evidence shows continuous variation of mucin concentration throughout the tear film, with no distinct boundary between the two layers. Thus, we consider a continuous-viscosity model that replaces the mucus and aqueous layers by a single liquid layer with continuous profiles of mucin concentration and viscosity, which are governed by advection–diffusion of mucin. The lipids coating the tear film are treated as insoluble surfactants as previously, and slip is allowed on the ocular surface. Using the thin-film approximation, we carry out linear stability analysis and nonlinear numerical simulations of tear-film breakup driven by van der Waals attraction. Results show that for the same average viscosity, having more viscous material near the ocular surface stabilizes the film and prolongs the breakup time. Compared with the layered models, the continuous-viscosity model predicts film breakup times that are in better agreement with experimental data. Finally, we also suggest a hydrodynamic explanation for how pathological loss of membrane-associated mucins may lead to faster breakup.

We consider the problem of formulating perturbative expansions of the conformation tensor, which is a positive definite tensor representing polymer deformation in viscoelastic flows. The classical approach does not explicitly take into account that the perturbed tensor must remain positive definite – a fact that has important physical implications, e.g. extensions and compressions are represented similarly to within a negative sign, when physically the former are unbounded and the latter are bounded from below. Mathematically, the classical approach assumes that the underlying geometry is Euclidean, and this assumption is not satisfied by the manifold of positive definite tensors. We provide an alternative formulation that retains the conveniences of classical perturbation methods used for generating linear and weakly nonlinear expansions, but also provides a clear physical interpretation and a mathematical basis for analysis. The approach is based on treating a perturbation as a sequence of successively smaller deformations of the polymer. Each deformation is modelled explicitly using geodesics on the manifold of positive definite tensors. Using geodesics, and associated geodesic distances, is the natural way to model perturbations to positive definite tensors because it is consistent with the manifold geometry. Approximations of the geodesics can then be used to reduce the total deformation to a series expansion in the small perturbation limit. We illustrate our approach using direct numerical simulations of the nonlinear evolution of Tollmien–Schlichting waves.

A macroscopic boundary condition to be used when a fluid flows over a rough surface is derived. It provides the slip velocity $\boldsymbol{u}_{S}$ on an equivalent (smooth) surface in the form $\boldsymbol{u}_{S}=\unicode[STIX]{x1D716}{\mathcal{L}}\boldsymbol{ : }{\mathcal{E}}$, where the dimensionless parameter $\unicode[STIX]{x1D716}$ is a measure of the roughness amplitude, ${\mathcal{E}}$ denotes the strain-rate tensor associated with the outer flow in the vicinity of the surface and ${\mathcal{L}}$ is a third-order slip tensor arising from the microscopic geometry characterizing the rough surface. This boundary condition represents the tensorial generalization of the classical Navier slip condition. We derive this condition, in the limit of small microscopic Reynolds numbers, using a multi-scale technique that yields a closed system of equations, the solution of which allows the slip tensor to be univocally calculated, once the roughness geometry is specified. We validate this generalized slip condition by considering the flow about a rough sphere, the surface of which is covered with a hexagonal lattice of cylindrical protrusions. Comparisons with direct numerical simulations performed in both laminar and turbulent regimes allow us to assess the validity and limitations of this condition and of the mathematical model underlying the determination of the slip tensor ${\mathcal{L}}$.

We study the evolution of a melting front between the solid and liquid phases of a pure incompressible material where fluid motions are driven by unstable temperature gradients. In a plane-layer geometry, this can be seen as classical Rayleigh–Bénard convection where the upper solid boundary is allowed to melt due to the heat flux brought by the fluid underneath. This free-boundary problem is studied numerically in two dimensions using a phase-field approach, classically used to study the melting and solidification of alloys, which we dynamically couple with the Navier–Stokes equations in the Boussinesq approximation. The advantage of this approach is that it requires only moderate modifications of classical numerical methods. We focus on the case where the solid is initially nearly isothermal, so that the evolution of the topography is related to the inhomogeneous heat flux from thermal convection, and does not depend on the conduction problem in the solid. From a very thin stable layer of fluid, convection cells appear as the depth – and therefore the effective Rayleigh number – of the layer increases. The continuous melting of the solid leads to dynamical transitions between different convection cell sizes and topography amplitudes. The Nusselt number can be larger than its value for a planar upper boundary, due to the feedback of the topography on the flow, which can stabilize large-scale laminar convection cells.

The interaction of stationary streaks undergoing non-modal growth with modally unstable instability waves in a high Mach number boundary-layer flow is studied using numerical computations. The geometry and flow conditions are selected to match a relevant trajectory location from the ascent phase of the HIFiRE-1 flight experiment; namely, a $7^{\circ }$ half-angle, circular cone with $2.5$ mm nose radius, free-stream Mach number equal to $5.30$, unit Reynolds number equal to $13.42~\text{m}^{-1}$ and wall-to-adiabatic temperature ratio of approximately $0.35$ over most of the vehicle. This paper investigates the nonlinear evolution of initially linear optimal disturbances that evolve into finite-amplitude streaks, followed by an analysis of the modal instability characteristics of the perturbed, streaky boundary-layer flow. The investigation is performed with a stationary, full Navier–Stokes equations solver and the plane-marching parabolized stability equations (PSE), in conjunction with partial-differential-equation-based planar eigenvalue analysis. The overall effect of streaks is to reduce the peak amplification factors of instability waves, indicating a possible downstream shift in the onset of laminar–turbulent transition. The present study confirms previous findings that the mean-flow distortion of the nonlinear streak perturbation reduces the amplification rates of the Mack-mode instability. More importantly, however, the present results demonstrate that the spanwise varying component of the streak can produce a larger effect on the Mack-mode amplification. The analysis of planar and oblique Mack-mode waves modulated by the presence of the streaks shows that the planar Mack mode still dominates the instability characteristics of the flow. The study with selected azimuthal wavenumbers for the stationary streaks reveals that a wavenumber of approximately $1.4$ times larger than the optimal wavenumber is more effective in stabilizing the planar Mack-mode instabilities. In the absence of unstable first-mode waves for the present cold-wall condition, transition onset is expected to be delayed until the peak streak amplitude increases to nearly 35 % of the free-stream velocity, when intrinsic instabilities of the boundary-layer streaks begin to dominate the transition process. For streak amplitudes below that limit a significant net stabilization is achieved, yielding a potential transition delay that can exceed 100 % of the length of the laminar region in the uncontrolled case.

High resolution large eddy simulations (LES) are performed to study the interaction of a stationary shock with fully developed turbulent flow. Turbulent statistics downstream of the interaction are provided for a range of weakly compressible upstream turbulent Mach numbers $M_{t}=0.03{-}0.18$, shock Mach numbers $M_{s}=1.2{-}3.0$ and Taylor-based Reynolds numbers $Re_{\unicode[STIX]{x1D706}}=20{-}2500$. The LES displays minimal Reynolds number effects once an inertial range has developed for $Re_{\unicode[STIX]{x1D706}}>100$. The inertial range scales of the turbulence are shown to quickly return to isotropy, and downstream of sufficiently strong shocks this process generates a net transfer of energy from transverse into streamwise velocity fluctuations. The streamwise shock displacements are shown to approximately follow a $k^{-11/3}$ decay with wavenumber as predicted by linear analysis. In conjunction with other statistics this suggests that the instantaneous interaction of the shock with the upstream turbulence proceeds in an approximately linear manner, but nonlinear effects immediately downstream of the shock significantly modify the flow even at the lowest considered turbulent Mach numbers.

The interaction of an acoustic wave with a stratified fluid can drive strong streaming flows owing to the baroclinic production of fluctuating vorticity, as recently demonstrated by Chini et al. (J. Fluid Mech., 744, 2014, pp. 329–351). In the present investigation, a set of wave/mean-flow interaction equations is derived that governs the coupled dynamics of a standing acoustic-wave mode of characteristic (small) amplitude $\unicode[STIX]{x1D716}$ and the streaming flow it drives in a thin channel with walls maintained at differing temperatures. Unlike classical Rayleigh streaming, the resulting mean flow arises at $O(\unicode[STIX]{x1D716})$ rather than at $O(\unicode[STIX]{x1D716}^{2})$. Consequently, fully two-way coupling between the waves and the mean flow is possible: the streaming is sufficiently strong to induce $O(1)$ rearrangements of the imposed background temperature and density fields, which modifies the spatial structure and frequency of the acoustic mode on the streaming time scale. A novel Wentzel–Kramers–Brillouin–Jeffreys analysis is developed to average over the fast wave dynamics, enabling the coupled system to be integrated strictly on the slow time scale of the streaming flow. Analytical solutions of the reduced system are derived for weak wave forcing and are shown to reproduce results from prior direct numerical simulations (DNS) of the compressible Navier–Stokes and heat equations with remarkable accuracy. Moreover, numerical simulations of the reduced system are performed in the regime of strong wave/mean-flow coupling for a fraction of the computational cost of the corresponding DNS. These simulations shed light on the potential for baroclinic acoustic streaming to be used as an effective means to enhance heat transfer.

Three-dimensional shock wave reflection comprises flow physics that is significantly different from the well-documented two-dimensional cases in a number of aspects. The most important differentiating factor is the sweep of the shock system. In particular, this work examines the nature of flow fields in which there is a transition of shock reflection configuration in three-dimensional space. The flow fields investigated have been made to exist in the absence of edge effects influencing the shock interaction and transition, as found previously to exist in conventional double-wedge studies. In general, the shock configurations are those with central regular and peripheral Mach reflection portions. It is shown that the sweep angle of the portions on either side of the transition point is subject to a cusp, as per an analytical model that is developed. This is confirmed with the use of numerical models with additional evidence provided by experimental results using oblique shadow photography. Further application of the principles of three-dimensional shock analysis and those pertaining to the sweep cusp model yield important insights regarding the overall shock geometry and that at transition.

The Arctic halocline is generally stable to the development of double-diffusive and dynamic instabilities – the two major sources of small-scale mixing in the mid-latitude oceans. Despite this, observations show the abundance of double-diffusive staircases in the Arctic Ocean, which suggests the presence of some destabilizing process facilitating the transition from smooth-gradient to layered stratification. Recent studies have shown that an instability can develop in such circumstances if weak static shear is present even when the flow is dynamically and diffusively stable. However, the impact of oscillating shear, associated with the presence of internal gravity waves, has not yet been addressed for the diffusive case. Through two-dimensional simulations of diffusive convection, we have investigated the impact of the magnitude and frequency of externally forced oscillatory shear on the thermohaline-shear instability. Simulations with stochastic shear – characterized by a continuous spectrum of frequencies from inertial to buoyancy – indicate that thermohaline layering does occur due to the presence of destabilizing modes (oscillations of near the buoyancy frequency). These simulations show that such layers appear as well-defined steps in the temperature and salinity profiles. Thus, the thermohaline-shear instability is a plausible mechanism for staircase formation in the Arctic and merits substantial future study.