On the Critical Richardson Number in Stably Stratified Turbulence

Authors

Boris Galperin, University of South FloridaFollow
Semion Sukoriansky, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Philip S. Anderson, Antarctic Climate and the Earth System Programme, British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge CB3 0ET, UK

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2007

Keywords

turbulence, stable stratification, critical Richardson number

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

https://doi.org/10.1002/asl.153

Abstract

The critical Richardson number, Ri_c, is used in studies of stably stratified turbulence as a measure of flow laminarization. The accepted range of Ri_c is between 0.2 and 1. A growing body of experimental and observational data indicates, however, that turbulence survives for Ri ≫ 1. This result is supported by a new spectral theory of turbulence that accounts for strong anisotropy and waves. The anisotropization results in the enhanced horizontal mixing of both momentum and scalar. Internal wave contribution preserves vertical momentum mixing above its molecular level. In the absence of laminarization, Ri_c becomes devoid of its conventional meaning. Copyright © 2007 Royal Meteorological Society

Was this content written or created while at USF?

Yes

Citation / Publisher Attribution

Atmospheric Science Letters, v. 8, issue 3, p. 65-69

Scholar Commons Citation

Galperin, Boris; Sukoriansky, Semion; and Anderson, Philip S., "On the Critical Richardson Number in Stably Stratified Turbulence" (2007). Marine Science Faculty Publications. 1491.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/msc_facpub/1491