Mathematical Sciences: A Computational Model of Aquatic Animal Locomotion

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The investigator applies computer modelling to the investigation of the fluid dynamics of aquatic animal propulsion. She has developed a reliable computational model in which the fluid motion is described by the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations, and the immersed organism is modelled by an immersed elastic structure undergoing time-dependent motions. No inherent restriction is imposed on the Reynolds number of the flow, on the geometry of the swimming organism, nor on the complexity of the swimming motion. Moreover, fluid dynamic interactions of multiple organisms in in the same domain of fluid can be studied. The goal of this research is to extend the simulations to different modes of swimming such as jet propulsion, as well as rowing and undulatory motion and to extend the model to three dimensions, where more realistic and complex motions can be studied. The project includes the effect of buoyancy on the swimming of microorganisms, so one may study the phenomena of geotaxis, the orientation of movement with respect to gravity, both in single organisms and in collective swimming. One step in understanding the evolutionary adaptations of aquatic animals, as well as the biochemical properties associated with microorganisms, is understanding the mechanical and hydrodynamical implications of different swimming morphologies and motions. This project provides the first computational model of aquatic animal locomotion solves the full Navier-Stokes equations that describe the motion of the organism in the fluid.