Some Solutions to a Lens Model With Applications to Warm-Core Eddies

<p>A model of lens-shaped anticyclonic eddies based on nonlinear shallow water equations is developed. The model is a three-layer fluid and allows for one asymmetric mode as well as specified environmental flows. The solution scheme is a polynomial expansion of the field variables. When inserted into the hydrographic equations, the expansion yields eight first-order differential equations for the time dependent amplitudes. This system of ordinary differential equations is numerically tractable. As long as the initial values meet the requirement of elliptical structure and the prescribed external force is tolerable for the initial values, the numerical solutions are stable. Numerical solutions are developed which show a wide variety of characteristics. Using different assumptions, six analytical solutions are obtained and discussed. For isolated lenses, three special solutions show different oscillations of the amplitudes. One has only the inertial frequency. The other two have superinertial and subinertial frequencies, respectively. For forced lenses, three special solutions are related to different exterior prescribed flows. One is an equilibrium solution having a steady-state external flow. The two other solutions are derived from external flows with subinertial and inertial frequencies, respectively. An attempt is made to apply the special solutions to observations of warm-core eddies in the Gulf of Mexico and other regions of the world ocean. The simulations of warm-core eddies with the special solutions are in general agreement with available data.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Ocean & Earth Sciences

Year dc:date.available

1992

Author dc:creator

• Liu, Juping

Contributors dc:contributor

• A. D. Kirwan, Jr.
• Larry P. Atkinson
• Chester Grosch
• J. Kroll

• Eddies
• Fluid dynamics
• Lens model
• Mathematics
• Oceanography

Statement dc:rights

• <p>In Copyright. URI: <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/</a> This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).</p>

Repository record dc:identifier

https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/oeas_etds/146

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digitalcommons.odu.edu:oeas_etds-1137