Baroclinic geostrophic adjustment in a rotating circular basin

Baroclinic geostrophic adjustment in a rotating circular basin is investigated in a laboratory study. The adjustment process consists of a linear phase before advective and dissipative effects dominate the response for longer time. This work describes in detail the hydrodynamics and energetics of the linear phase of the adjustment process of a two-layer fluid from an initial step height discontinuity in the density interface DeltaH to a final response consisting of both geostrophic and fluctuating components. For a forcing lengthscale r(f) equal to the basin radius R-0, the geostrophic component takes the form of a basin-scale double gyre while the fluctuating component is composed of baroclinic Kelvin and Poincare waves. The Burger number S=R/r(f) (R is the baroclinic Rossby radius of deformation) and the dimensionless forcing amplitude epsilon = DeltaH/H-1 (H-1 is the upper-layer depth) characterize the response of the adjustment process. In particular, comparisons between analytical solutions and laboratory measurements indicate that for time tau: 1 < tau < S-1 (tau is time scaled by the inertial period 2pi/f), the basin-scale double gyre is established, followed by a period where the double gyre is sustained, given by S-1 < tau < 2epsilon(-1) for a moderate forcing and S-1 < tau < tau(D) for a weak forcing (tau(D) is the dimensionless dissipation timescale due to Ekman damping). The analytical solution is used to calculate the energetics of the baroclinic geostrophic adjustment. The results are found to compare well with previous studies with partitioning of energy between the geostrophic and fluctuating components exhibiting a strong dependence on S. Finally, the outcomes of this study are considered in terms of their application to lakes influenced by the rotation of the Earth

Bubbles emerging from a submerged granular bed

This paper explores the phenomena associated with the emergence of gas bubbles from a submerged granular bed. While there are many natural and industrial applications, we focus on the particular circumstances and consequences associated with the emergence of methane bubbles from the beds of lakes and reservoirs since there are significant implications for the dynamics of lakes and reservoirs and for global warming. This paper describes an experimental study of the processes of bubble emergence from a granular bed. Two distinct emergence modes are identified, mode 1 being simply the percolation of small bubbles through the interstices of the bed, while mode 2 involves the cumulative growth of a larger bubble until its buoyancy overcomes the surface tension effects. We demonstrate the conditions dividing the two modes (primarily the grain size) and show that this accords with simple analytical evaluations. These observations are consistent with previous studies of the dynamics of bubbles within porous beds. The two emergence modes also induce quite different particle fluidization levels. The latter are measured and correlated with a diffusion model similar to that originally employed in river sedimentation models by Vanoni and others. Both the particle diffusivity and the particle flux at the surface of the granular bed are measured and compared with a simple analytical model. These mixing processes can be consider applicable not only to the grains themselves, but also to the nutrients and/or contaminants within the bed. In this respect they are shown to be much more powerful than other mixing processes (such as the turbulence in the benthic boundary layer) and could, therefore, play a dominant role in the dynamics of lakes and reservoirs

The wave-induced solute flux from submerged sediment

The issue of the transport of dissolved nutrients and contaminants between the sediment in the bottom of a lake or reservoir and the body of water above it is an important one for many reasons. In particular the biological and chemical condition of the body of water is intricately linked to these mass transport processes. As the review by Boudreau (Rev Geophys 38(3):389–416, 2000) clearly demonstrates those transport processes are very complex involving mechanisms as diverse as the wave-induced flux between the sediment and the overlying water and the effect of burrowing animals on the transport within the sediment as well as basic diffusion mechanisms. The present paper focuses on one facet of these transport processes; we re-examine the balance of diffusion and wave-induced advection and demonstrate that the wave-induced flux of a solute from submerged sediment is not necessarily purely diffusive as suggested by Harrison et al. (J Geophys Res 88:7617–7622, 1983) but can be dominated by a mean or time-averaged flux induced by the advective fluid motion into and out of the sediment caused by the fluctuating pressure waves associated with wave motion. Indeed along the subtidal shoreline where the fluctuating bottom pressures are greatest, wave-induced advection will dominate the mean, time-averaged transport of solute into or out of the sediment as suggested in the work of Riedl et al. (Mar Biol 13:210–221, 1972). However, the present calculations also indicate that this advective flux decreases rapidly with increasing depth so that further away from the shoreline the advective flux becomes negligible relative to the diffusive flux and therefore the latter dominates in deeper water

A three-dimensional numerical model of the response of the Australian North West Shelf to tropical cyclones

A three-dimensional barotropic and baroclinic model is developed to simulate currents and temperature changes induced by tropical cyclones traversing the continental shelf and slope region of the Australian North West Shelf. The model is based on a layered, explicit, finite difference formulation using the nonlinear primitive equations with an embedded entrainment scheme; a mixed-surface-layer interface is defined, which is allowed to shift from one interface to another, depending on the strength of a storm. The model has been tested by simulating the currents and temperature changes induced by tropical cyclones Orson and Ian. The modelled currents and temperatures agreed well with the available measured records except near the seabed. It has been found that the pre-storm currents have very little influence on the peak of the storm-induced currents and the currents in the wake of a tropical cyclone. The model contained no coefficients which must be calibrated for a particular application and clearly illustrated the importance of the baroclinic effects on the storm-induced response over the North West Shelf of Australia

Evaluation of management scenarios for controlling eutrophication in a shallow tropical urban lake

Urban lakes are typically smaller, shallower, and more exposed to human activities than natural lakes. Although the effects of harmful algal blooms (HABs) associated with eutrophication in urban lakes has become a growing concern for water resources management and environmental protection, studies focussing on this topic in relation to urban lakes are rare and knowledge of the ecological dynamics and effective management strategies for controlling eutrophication in urban lakes is lacking. This study applied an integrated three-dimensional hydrodynamics-ecological model for a small shallow tropical urban lake in Singapore and evaluated various management scenarios to control eutrophication in the lake. It is found that in-lake treatment techniques including artificial destratification, sediment manipulation and algaecide addition are either ineffective or possess environmental concerns; while watershed management strategies including hydraulic flushing and inflow nutrients reduction are more effective and have posed less environmental concerns. In this study, inflow phosphorus reduction was found to be the best strategy after evaluating the advantages and drawbacks of the management strategies studied. Runoff from the watershed exerts significant influence on urban lakes and thus an integrated water resources management at the watershed level is critical for the control of eutrophicatio

Gärten in Entenhausen

Das Landesarchiv Schleswig-Holstein hat die Landesgartenschau 2009 in Schleswig mit der zu diesem Anlass konzipierten Ausstellung "Die Ordnung der Natur. Historische Gärten und Parks in Schleswig-Holstein" begleitet. Ergänzt wurde diese mit einer Vortragsreihe, die auf große Resonanz stieß. Die Vorträge werden in diesem Band veröffentlicht. Thematisch gliedert sich der Band in zwei Teile: Die ersten vier Beiträge setzen sich mit historischen Gärten und Parks in Schleswig-Holstein auseinander. Der zweite Teil des Bandes weist über die Grenzen Schleswig-Holsteins hinaus. So geht es um Gartenbauschulen als Berufsausbildung für "höhere Töchter" im Kaiserreich, Gärten und Natur im Kontext demokratiefeindlicher, völkischer Ideologie, die Bedeutung von Gärten und Parks im Film sowie Gärten in Entenhausen.The Landesarchiv Schleswig-Holstein opened the Landesgartenschau 2009 in Schleswig with the exhibition "Die Ordnung der Natur. Historical Gardens and Parks in Schleswig-Holstein ". This exhibition was complemented by a series of lectures which met with a great response. The lectures are published in this volume. Thematically, the volume is divided into two parts: The first four contributions deal with historical gardens and parks in Schleswig-Holstein. The second part of the volume points beyond the borders of Schleswig-Holstein. It deals with horticultural schools as vocational training for "higher daughters" in the Empire, gardens and nature in the context of democratically anti-democratic, folk ideology, the importance of gardens and parks in film and gardens in Duckburg

Effect of benthic boundary layer transport on the productivity of Mono Lake, California

The significance of the transport of nutrient-rich hypolimnetic water via the benthic boundary layer (BBL) to the productivity of Mono Lake was studied using a coupled hydrodynamic and ecological model validated against field data. The coupled model enabled us to differentiate between the role of biotic components and hydrodynamic forcing on the internal recycling of nutrients necessary to sustain primary productivity. A 4-year period (1991–1994) was simulated in which recycled nutrients from zooplankton excretion and bacterially-mediated mineralization exceeded sediment fluxes as the dominant source for primary productivity. Model outputs indicated that BBL transport was responsible for a 53% increase in the flux of hypolimnetic ammonium to the photic zone during stratification with an increase in primary production of 6% and secondary production of 5%. Although the estimated impact of BBL transport on the productivity of Mono Lake was not large, significant nutrient fluxes were simulated during periods when BBL transport was most active