Naval Postgraduate School
Dudley Knox Library
NPS Dudley Knox Library
View Item 
  •   Calhoun Home
  • Faculty and Researchers
  • Faculty and Researchers' Publications
  • View Item
  •   Calhoun Home
  • Faculty and Researchers
  • Faculty and Researchers' Publications
  • View Item
  • How to search in Calhoun
  • My Accounts
  • Ask a Librarian
JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

Browse

All of CalhounCollectionsThis Collection

My Account

LoginRegister

Statistics

Most Popular ItemsStatistics by CountryMost Popular Authors

Applicability and failure of the flux-gradient laws in double-diffusive convection

Thumbnail
Download
Iconjfm14.pdf (1.458Mb)
Download Record
Download to EndNote/RefMan (RIS)
Download to BibTex
Author
Radko, Timour
Date
2014
Metadata
Show full item record
Abstract
Double-diffusive flux-gradient laws are commonly used to describe the development of large-scale structures driven by salt fingers – thermohaline staircases, collective instability waves and intrusions. The flux-gradient model assumes that the vertical transport is uniquely determined by the local background temperature and salinity gradients. While flux-gradient laws adequately capture mixing characteristics on scales that greatly exceed those of primary double-diffusive instabilities, their accuracy rapidly deteriorates when the scale separation between primary and secondary instabilities is reduced. This study examines conditions for the breakdown of the flux-gradient laws using a combination of analytical arguments and direct numerical simulations. The applicability (failure) of the flux-gradient laws at large (small) scales is illustrated through the example of layering instability, which results in the spontaneous formation of thermohaline staircases from uniform temperature and salinity gradients. Our inquiry is focused on the properties of the ‘point-of-failure’ scale (Hpof ) at which the vertical transport becomes significantly affected by the non-uniformity of the background stratification. It is hypothesized that Hpof can control some key characteristics of secondary double-diffusive phenomena, such as the thickness of high-gradient interfaces in thermohaline staircases. A more general parametrization of the vertical transport – the flux-gradient-aberrancy law – is proposed, which includes the selective damping of relatively short wavelengths that are inadequately represented by the flux-gradient models. The new formulation is free from the unphysical behaviour of the flux-gradient laws at small scales (e.g. the ultraviolet catastrophe) and can be readily implemented in theoretical and large-scale numerical models of double-diffusive convection.
Description
The article of record as published may be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/jfm.2014.244
Rights
This publication is a work of the U.S. Government as defined in Title 17, United States Code, Section 101. Copyright protection is not available for this work in the United States.
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/10945/42123
Collections
  • Faculty and Researchers' Publications

Related items

Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.

  • Thumbnail

    Direct numerical simulations of diffusive staircases in the Arctic 

    Caro, Gregory P. (Monterey, California. Naval Postgraduate School, 2009-03);
    The vertical transport of heat by the diffusive layer in the Arctic thermocline is a critical element of the high-latitude climate, and yet, after decades of research, the extant estimates remain highly controversial. ...
  • Thumbnail

    Double-Diffusive Convection 

    Radko, Timour (WHOI, 2008);
    Even in systems with a negative vertical density gradient, instability is possible if the density is controlled by two components (e.g. temperature T and salinity S) that diffuse at different rates [24]. In the oceans, ...
  • Thumbnail

    An inverse model of double diffusive convection in the Beaufort Sea 

    Chaplin, Jeremiah E. (Monterey, California. Naval Postgraduate School, 2009-12);
    This study explores the fluxes of heat and salt associated with thermohaline staircases in the Beaufort Sea. An inverse model is developed to calculate the vertical transport of properties in the southern portion of the ...
NPS Dudley Knox LibraryDUDLEY KNOX LIBRARY
Feedback

411 Dyer Rd. Bldg. 339
Monterey, CA 93943
circdesk@nps.edu
(831) 656-2947
DSN 756-2947

    Federal Depository Library      


Start Your Research

Research Guides
Academic Writing
Ask a Librarian
Copyright at NPS
Graduate Writing Center
How to Cite
Library Liaisons
Research Tools
Thesis Processing Office

Find & Download

Databases List
Articles, Books & More
NPS Theses
NPS Faculty Publications: Calhoun
Journal Titles
Course Reserves

Use the Library

My Accounts
Request Article or Book
Borrow, Renew, Return
Tech Help
Remote Access
Workshops & Tours

For Faculty & Researchers
For International Students
For Alumni

Print, Copy, Scan, Fax
Rooms & Study Spaces
Floor Map
Computers & Software
Adapters, Lockers & More

Collections

NPS Archive: Calhoun
Restricted Resources
Special Collections & Archives
Federal Depository
Homeland Security Digital Library

About

Hours
Library Staff
About Us
Special Exhibits
Policies
Our Affiliates
Visit Us

NPS-Licensed Resources—Terms & Conditions
Copyright Notice

Naval Postgraduate School

Naval Postgraduate School
1 University Circle, Monterey, CA 93943
Driving Directions | Campus Map

This is an official U.S. Navy Website |  Please read our Privacy Policy Notice  |  FOIA |  Section 508 |  No FEAR Act |  Whistleblower Protection |  Copyright and Accessibility |  Contact Webmaster

Export search results

The export option will allow you to export the current search results of the entered query to a file. Different formats are available for download. To export the items, click on the button corresponding with the preferred download format.

A logged-in user can export up to 15000 items. If you're not logged in, you can export no more than 500 items.

To select a subset of the search results, click "Selective Export" button and make a selection of the items you want to export. The amount of items that can be exported at once is similarly restricted as the full export.

After making a selection, click one of the export format buttons. The amount of items that will be exported is indicated in the bubble next to export format.