scholarly journals Chemical Signaling in the Turbulent Ocean—Hide and Seek at the Kolmogorov Scale

Fluids ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 54
Author(s):  
Erik Selander ◽  
Sam T. Fredriksson ◽  
Lars Arneborg

Chemical cues and signals mediate resource acquisition, mate finding, and the assessment of predation risk in marine plankton. Here, we use the chemical properties of the first identified chemical cues from zooplankton together with in situ measurements of turbulent dissipation rates to calculate the effect of turbulence on the distribution of cues behind swimmers as well as steady state background concentrations in surrounding water. We further show that common zooplankton (copepods) appears to optimize mate finding by aggregating at the surface in calm conditions when turbulence do not prevent trail following. This near surface environment is characterized by anisotropic turbulence and we show, using direct numerical simulations, that chemical cues distribute more in the horizontal plane than vertically in these conditions. Zooplankton may consequently benefit from adopting specific search strategies near the surface as well as in strong stratification where similar flow fields develop. Steady state concentrations, where exudation is balanced by degradation develops in a time scale of ~5 h. We conclude that the trails behind millimeter-sized copepods can be detected in naturally occurring turbulence below the wind mixed surface layer or in the absence of strong wind. The trails, however, shorten dramatically at high turbulent dissipation rates, above ~10−3 cm2 s−3 (10−7 W kg−1)

2012 ◽  
Vol 1 (33) ◽  
pp. 49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia C Mullarney ◽  
Stephen M Henderson

We present high resolution (25 mm spatial, 8 Hz temporal) profiles of velocity measured over a shallow tidal flat using pulse-coherent Acoustic Doppler Profilers mounted on surface drifters. The use of Lagrangian measurements mitigated the problem of resolving velocity ambiguities, a problem which often limits the application of high-resolution pulse-coherent profilers. Turbulent dissipation rates were estimated from second-order structure functions of measured velocity. Drifters were advected towards, and subsequently trapped on, a convergent surface front which marked the edge of a freshwater plume. Measured dissipation rates increased as a drifter deployed within the plume approached the front. A drifter then propagated with and along the front as the fresh plume spread across the tidal flats. Near-surface turbulent dissipation measured at the front roughly matched a theoretical mean-shear-cubed relationship, whereas dissipation measured in the stratified plume behind the front was suppressed. After removal of estimates affected by surface waves, near-bed dissipation matched the velocity cubed relationship, although scatter was substantial. Dissipation rates appeared to be enhanced when the drifter propagated across small subtidal channels.


Author(s):  
Suneil Iyer ◽  
Kyla Drushka

AbstractObservations of salinity, temperature, and turbulent dissipation rate were made in the top meter of the ocean using the ship-towed Surface Salinity Profiler as part of the second Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS-2) to assess the relationships between wind, rain, near-surface stratification, and turbulence. A wide range of wind and rain conditions were observed in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean near 10°N, 125°W in summer-autumn 2016 and 2017. Wind was the primary driver of near-surface turbulence and the mixing of rain-formed fresh lenses, with lenses generally persisting for hours when wind speeds were under 5 m s−1 and mixing away immediately at higher wind speeds. Rain influenced near-surface turbulence primarily through stratification. Near-surface stratification caused by rainfall or diurnal warming suppressed deeper turbulent dissipation rates when wind speeds were under 3 m s−1. In one case with 4-5 m s−1 winds, rain-induced stratification enhanced dissipation rates within the stratified layer. At wind speeds above 7-8 m s−1, strong stratification was not observed in the upper meter during rain, indicating that rain lenses do not form at wind speeds above 8 m s−1. Raindrop impacts enhanced turbulent dissipation rates at these high wind speeds in the absence of near-surface stratification. Measurements of air-sea buoyancy flux, wind speed, and near-surface turbulence can be used to predict the presence of stratified layers. These findings could be used to improve model parameterizations of air-sea interactions and, ultimately, our understanding of the global water cycle.


Sensors ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Temple Lee ◽  
Michael Buban ◽  
Edward Dumas ◽  
C. Baker

Rotary-wing small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) are increasingly being used for sampling thermodynamic and chemical properties of the Earth’s atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) because of their ability to measure at high spatial and temporal resolutions. Therefore, they have the potential to be used for long-term quasi-continuous monitoring of the ABL, which is critical for improving ABL parameterizations and improving numerical weather prediction (NWP) models through data assimilation. Before rotary-wing aircraft can be used for these purposes, however, their performance and the sensors used therein must be adequately characterized. In the present study, we describe recent calibration and validation procedures for thermodynamic sensors used on two rotary-wing aircraft: A DJI S-1000 and MD4-1000. These evaluations indicated a high level of confidence in the on-board measurements. We then used these measurements to characterize the spatiotemporal variability of near-surface (up to 300-m AGL) temperature and moisture fields as a component of two recent field campaigns: The Verification of the Origins of Rotation in Tornadoes Experiment in the Southeast U.S. (VORTEX-SE) in Alabama, and the Land Atmosphere Feedback Experiment (LAFE) in northern Oklahoma.


2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 3405-3412 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles Amory ◽  
Christoph Kittel

Abstract. Sublimation of snow particles during transport has been recognized as an important ablation process on the Antarctic ice sheet. The resulting increase in moisture content and cooling of the ambient air are thermodynamic negative feedbacks that both contribute to increase the relative humidity of the air, inhibiting further sublimation when saturation is reached. This self-limiting effect and the associated development of saturated near-surface air layers in drifting snow conditions have mainly been described through modelling studies and a few field observations. A set of meteorological data, including drifting snow mass fluxes and vertical profiles of relative humidity, collected at site D17 in coastal Adélie Land (East Antarctica) during 2013 is used to study the relationship between saturation of the near-surface atmosphere and the occurrence of drifting snow in a katabatic wind region that is among the most prone to snow transport by wind. Atmospheric moistening by the sublimation of the windborne snow particles generally results in a strong increase in relative humidity with the magnitude of drifting snow and a decrease in its vertical gradient, suggesting that windborne-snow sublimation can be an important contributor to the local near-surface moisture budget. Despite a high incidence of drifting snow at the measurement location (60.1 % of the time), saturation, when attained, is however most often limited to a thin air layer below 1 m above ground. The development of a near-surface saturated air layer up to the highest measurement level of 5.5 m is observed in only 8.2 % of the drifting snow occurrences or 6.3 % of the time and mainly occurs in strong wind speed and drift conditions. This relatively rare occurrence of ambient saturation is explained by the likely existence of moisture-removal mechanisms inherent to the katabatic and turbulent nature of the boundary-layer flow that weaken the negative feedback of windborne-snow sublimation. Such mechanisms, potentially quite active in katabatic-generated windborne-snow layers all over Antarctica, may be very important in understanding the surface mass and atmospheric moisture budgets of the ice sheet by enhancing windborne-snow sublimation.


2020 ◽  
Vol 142 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarwesh Parbat ◽  
Zheng Min ◽  
Li Yang ◽  
Minking Chyu

Abstract In the present paper, two lattice geometries suitable for near surface and double wall cooling were developed and tested. The first type of unit cell consisted of six ligaments of 0.5 mm diameter joined at a common vertex near the middle. The second type of unit cell was derived from the first type by adding four mutually perpendicular ligaments in the middle plane. Two lattice configurations, referred to as L1 and L2, respectively, were obtained by repeating the corresponding unit cell in streamwise and spanwise directions in an inline fashion. Test coupons consisting of these lattice geometries embedded inside rectangular cooling channel with dimensions of 2.54 mm height, 38.07 mm width, and 38.1 mm in length were fabricated using Inconel 718 powder and selective laser sintering (SLS) process. The heat transfer and pressure drop performance was then evaluated using steady-state tests with constant wall temperature boundary condition and for channel Reynolds number ranging from 2800 to 15,000. The lattices depicted a higher heat transfer compared with a smooth channel and both the heat transfer and pressure drop increased with a decrease in the porosity from L1 to L2. Steady-state conjugate numerical results revealed formation of prominent vortical structures in the inter-unit cell spaces, which diverted the flow toward the top end wall and created an asymmetric heat transfer between the two end walls. In conclusion, these lattice structures provided an augmented heat transfer while favorably redistributing the coolant within channel.


2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (14) ◽  
pp. 3721-3728 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Y. Tang ◽  
W. J. Riley

Abstract. Representation of gaseous diffusion in variably saturated near-surface soils is becoming more common in land biogeochemical models, yet the formulations and numerical solution algorithms applied vary widely. We present three different but equivalent formulations of the dual-phase (gaseous and aqueous) tracer diffusion transport problem that is relevant to a wide class of volatile tracers in land biogeochemical models. Of these three formulations (i.e., the gas-primary, aqueous-primary, and bulk-tracer-based formulations), we contend that the gas-primary formulation is the most convenient for modeling tracer dynamics in biogeochemical models. We then provide finite volume approximation to the gas-primary equation and evaluate its accuracy against three analytical models: one for steady-state soil CO2 dynamics, one for steady-state soil CH4 dynamics, and one for transient tracer diffusion from a constant point source into two different sequentially aligned medias. All evaluations demonstrated good accuracy of the numerical approximation. We expect our result will standardize an efficient mechanistic numerical method for solving relatively simple, multi-phase, one-dimensional diffusion problems in land models.


2014 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 427-441 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. C. Llasat ◽  
M. Turco ◽  
P. Quintana-Seguí ◽  
M. Llasat-Botija

Abstract. A heavy precipitation event swept over Catalonia (NE Spain) on 8 March 2010, with a total amount that exceeded 100 mm locally and snowfall of more than 60 cm near the coast. Unusual for this region and at this time of the year, this snowfall event affected mainly the coastal region and was accompanied by thunderstorms and strong wind gusts in some areas. Most of the damage was due to "wet snow", a kind of snow that favours accretion on power lines and causes line-breaking and subsequent interruption of the electricity supply. This paper conducts an interdisciplinary analysis of the event to show its great societal impact and the role played by the recently developed social networks (it has been called the first "Snowfall 2.0"), as well to analyse the meteorological factors associated with the major damage, and to propose an indicator that could summarise them. With this aim, the paper introduces the event and its societal impact and compares it with other important snowfalls that have affected the Catalan coast, using the PRESSGAMA database. The second part of the paper shows the event's main meteorological features and analyses the near-surface atmospheric variables responsible for the major damage through the application of the SAFRAN (Système d'analyse fournissant des renseignements atmosphériques à la neige) mesoscale analysis, which, together with the proposed "wind, wet-snow index" (WWSI), allows to estimate the severity of the event. This snow storm provides further evidence of our vulnerability to natural hazards and highlights the importance of a multidisciplinary approach in analysing societal impact and the meteorological factors responsible for this kind of event.


2004 ◽  
Vol 61 (24) ◽  
pp. 3049-3064 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isaac Ginis ◽  
Alexander P. Khain ◽  
Elena Morozovsky

Abstract A model of the atmospheric boundary layer (BL) is presented that explicitly calculates a two-way interaction of the background flow and convective motions. The model is utilized for investigation of the formation of large eddies (roll vortices) and their effects on the structure of the marine boundary layer under conditions resembling those of tropical cyclones. It is shown that two main factors controlling the formation of large eddies are the magnitude of the background wind speed and air humidity, determining the cloud formation and latent heat release. When the wind speed is high enough, a strong vertical wind shear develops in the lower part of the BL, which triggers turbulent mixing and the formation of a mixed layer. As a result, the vertical profiles of velocity, potential temperature, and mixing ratio in the background flow are modified to allow for the development of large eddies via dynamic instability. Latent heat release in clouds was found to be the major energy source of large eddies. The cloud formation depends on the magnitude of air humidity. The most important manifestation of the effects of large eddies is a significant increase of the near-surface wind speed and evaporation from the sea surface. For strong wind conditions, the increase of the near-surface speed can exceed 10 m s−1 and evaporation from the sea surface can double. These results demonstrate an important role large eddies play in the formation of BL structure in high wind speeds. Inclusion of these effects in the BL parameterizations of tropical cyclone models may potentially lead to substantial improvements in the prediction of storm intensity.


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