This book presents the fundamentals and advanced research on the global stability analysis of the shear flows. The contents investigate the results of global stability analysis for different configurations of internal and external shear flows. The topics covered are global stability analysis of converging-diverging channel flows, axisymmetric boundary layer developed on a circular cylinder, cone and inclined flat-plate boundary layer, and wall jets. It further explains the effect of divergence, convergence, transverse curvature, and pressure gradients on the global stability of the different configurations of shear flows. The book is a valuable reference for beginners, researchers, and professionals working in the field of aerodynamics and marine hydrodynamics.

The question of the stability of steady state solutions in geophysical fluid flows is addressed through qualitative analysis and quantitative examples. The inviscid linear stability theory of stratified shear flows and the solution of the stability problem using normal modes and Fourier-Laplace transforms are discussed. Two numerical examples are used to illustrate the relationship of various physical parameters to the stability of the system and to trace the development of the instability of the instability for short, intermediate and long times. The examples are (1) two layer fluid of infinite extent with application to the air-sea interface and (2) a two-layer fluid having a free surface and finite depth with application to a salt wedge estuary. The initial-value problem is solved using a power series expansion for short times, superposition of modes for intermediate times and asymptotic analysis for long times. The asymptotic expansion applicable in non-conservative systems is compared with the approximate solution using ray techniques, which are valid in conservative systems, and analytic continuation of the eigenvalues into the complex wavenumber plane. (Author).