Covering both theory and experiment, this text describes the behaviour of homogeneous and density-stratified fluids over and around topography. Its presentation is suitable for advanced undergraduate and graduate students in fluid mechanics, as well as for practising scientists, engineers, and researchers. Using laboratory experiments and illustrations to further understanding, the author explores topics ranging from the classical hydraulics of single-layer flow to more complex situations involving stratified flows over two- and three-dimensional topography, including complex terrain. A particular focus is placed on applications to the atmosphere and ocean, including discussions of downslope windstorms, and of oceanic flow over continental shelves and slopes. This new edition has been restructured to make it more digestible, and updated to cover significant developments in areas such as exchange flows, gravity currents, waves in stratified fluids, stability, and applications to the atmosphere and ocean.

The dynamics of flows in density-stratified fluids has been and remains now an important topic for scientific enquiry. Such flows arise in many contexts, ranging from industrial settings to the oceanic and atmospheric environments. It is the latter topic which is the focus of this book. Both the ocean and atmosphere are characterised by the basic vertical density stratification, and this feature can affect the dynamics on all scales ranging from the micro-scale to the planetary scale. The aim of this book is to provide a “state-of-the-art” account of stratified flows as they are relevant to the ocean and atmosphere with a primary focus on meso-scale phenomena; that is, on phenomena whose time and space scales are such that the density stratification is a dominant effect, so that frictional and diffusive effects on the one hand and the effects of the earth’s rotation on the other hand can be regarded as of less importance. This in turn leads to an emphasis on internal waves.

Explore the nature of density-stratified flow over and around topography, including applications to the flow of the atmosphere and ocean.