Buoyancy-driven flows
By: [edited by] Eric Chassignet, Claudia Cenedese, Jacques Verron
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 2012
Place of publication: Cambridge; New York
Language: eng
ISBN-13: 9781107008878
Subjects: Buoyant convection; Ocean circulation; SCIENCE / Earth Sciences / Oceanography; Atmospheric circulation
Description: "This book summarizes present understanding of buoyancy-driven flows for advanced students and researchers in oceanography, geophysical fluid dynamics, atmospheric science, and Earth science"--

"Buoyancy is one of the main forces driving flows on our planet, especially in the oceans and atmosphere. These flows range from buoyant coastal currents to dense overflows in the ocean, and from avalanches to volcanic pyroclastic flows on the Earth's surface. This book brings together contributions by leading world scientists to summarize our present theoretical, observational, experimental, and modeling understanding of buoyancy-driven flows. This book strongly emphasizes the ocean, which displays an exceptionally wide range of buoyancy-driven flows. Buoyancy-driven currents play a key role in the global ocean circulation and in climate variability through their impact on deep-water formation. Correctly representing buoyancy-driven processes not currently resolved in the ocean components of climate models is a challenge. The limitations of current modeling techniques are examined, and recommendations are made for the proper physical parameterization of buoyancy-driven processes in order to accurately project long-term water mass evolution. Buoyancy-driven currents are also primarily responsible for the redistribution of fresh water throughout the world's oceans. In addition to fresh water, buoyancy-driven flows transport heat, nutrients, sediments, biogeochemicals, pollutants, and biological organisms along many continental shelves and thus have significant impacts on ecosystems, fisheries, and the coastal circulation. This book is an invaluable resource for advanced students and researchers in oceanography, geophysical fluid dynamics, atmospheric science and the wider Earth sciences who need a state-of-the-art reference on buoyancy-driven flows. "--
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Machine generated contents note: 1. Gravity currents: theory and laboratory Paul Linden; 2. Theory of oceanic buoyancy-driven flows Joseph Pedlosky; 3. Buoyancy-forced circulation and downwelling in marginal seas Michael Spall; 4. Buoyant coastal currents Steve Lentz; 5. Overflows and convectively driven flows Sonya Legg; 6. An ocean climate modeling perspective on buoyancy-driven flows William Large; 7. Buoyancy-driven flows in eddying ocean models Anne Marie Tre;guier, Bruno Ferron, and Raphael Dussin; 8. Atmospheric buoyancy-driven flows Sylvie Malardel; 9. Volcanic flows Andy Woods; 10. Gravity flow on a steep slope Christophe Ancey.