U.S.-U.K. Cooperative Research: Turbulence and Mixing at Density Interfaces

这项为期一年的奖项将支持亚利桑那州立大学的哈林德拉·费尔南多和剑桥大学的朱利安·C·R·亨特在流体力学方面的美英合作研究。他们的研究目标是调查密度界面内和附近的湍流。剑桥大学和英国气象局的研究人员进行的理论和数值工作将得到亚利桑那州立大学实验室实验的补充。湍流结构在自然界中非常丰富，湍流混合在海洋和大气的热量和质量平衡中起着主导作用。这项研究将研究当湍流受到(1)来自不等强度的连续湍流层的差分湍流强迫和(2)速度切变时的湍流。研究结果将促进对环境密度界面上湍流混合的理解，并增强海洋和大气环流模式中次网格尺度过程的参数化能力。

This one year award will support U.S.-U.K. cooperative research in fluid mechanics between Harindra Fernando of Arizona State University and Julian C. R. Hunt of the University of Cambridge. The objective of their research is an investigation of turbulence within and near density interfaces. The theoretical and numerical work conducted by researchers at the University of Cambridge and the British Meteorological Office will be complemented by laboratory experiments at Arizona State University. Turbulent flow configurations are replete in nature, and turbulent mixing plays a dominant role in heat and mass balances in oceans and the atmosphere. The proposed research will study turbulence when it is subjected to (1) differential turbulent forcing from contiguous turbulent layers of unequal intensities and (2) velocity shear. The results of the research will advance understanding of turbulent mixing across environmental density interfaces and enhance capabilities for parameterization of sub-grid scale processes in oceanic and atmospheric General Circulation Models.