Evolution and Breakdown of Kelvin–Helmholtz Billows in Stratified Compressible Flows. Part I: Comparison of Two- and Three-Dimensional Flows

• Published in: Journal of the atmospheric sciences Vol. 53; no. 22; pp. 3173 - 3191
• Main Authors: Fritts, David C., Palmer, Teresa L., Andreassen, Øyvind, Lie, Ivar
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston, MA American Meteorological Society 15.11.1996
• Subjects: Atmosphere; Earth, ocean, space; Exact sciences and technology; External geophysics; Meteorology; Other topics in atmospheric geophysics; Momentum transfer; Three dimensional flow; Kelvin Helmholtz instability; Shear flow; Reynolds number; Numerical simulation; Two dimensional flow; Heat transfer; Stratified flow

The authors use a nonlinear, compressible, spectral collocation code to examine the evolution and secondary instability of Kelvin-Helmholtz billows in stratified shear flows at intermediate Reynolds numbers. Two-dimensional results exhibit structure consistent with previous numerical studies and sug...