The wave instability pathway to turbulence

One way that large-scale oceanic internal waves transfer their energy to small-scale mixing is through parametric subharmonic instability (PSI). But there is a disconnect between theory, which assumes the waves are periodic in space and time, and reality, in which waves are transient and localized....

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of fluid mechanics 2013-06, Vol.724, p.1-4
Main Author: Sutherland, Bruce R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Beams (radiation)
Earth, ocean, space
Exact sciences and technology
External geophysics
Fluid dynamics
Fluid flow
Fluid mechanics
Focus on Fluids
Instability
Physics of the oceans
Propagation
Small scale
Stability
Thermohaline structure and circulation. Turbulence and diffusion
Turbulence
Turbulent flow
Waveform analysis
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Summary:One way that large-scale oceanic internal waves transfer their energy to small-scale mixing is through parametric subharmonic instability (PSI). But there is a disconnect between theory, which assumes the waves are periodic in space and time, and reality, in which waves are transient and localized. The innovative laboratory experiments and analysis techniques of Bourget et al. (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 723, 2013, pp. 1–20) show that theory can be applied to interpret the generation of subharmonic disturbances from a quasi-monochromatic wave beam. Their methodology and results open up new avenues of investigation into PSI through experiments, simulations and observations.
ISSN:0022-1120
1469-7645
DOI:10.1017/jfm.2013.149