With an emphasis on both theory and experiment, this text describes the behaviour of homogeneous and density-stratified fluids over and around topography. In examining the similarities between the flow of a river over a barrier or weir and the flow of the atmosphere over a mountain range, this book presents a comprehensive synthesis of this topic in terms suitable for scientists, engineers, teachers and students of fluid dynamics. With this book, Professor Baines makes a notable contribution to the fields of fluid mechanics and geophysical fluid dynamics. The text will be a great asset to graduate and advanced undergraduate students, as well as to research professionals.

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

For some time there has existed an extensive theoretical literature relating to tides on continental shelves and also to the behavior of estuaries. Much less attention was traditionally paid to the dynamics of longer term, larger scale motions (those which are usually described as circulation') over continental shelves or in enclosed shallow seas such as the North American Great Lakes. This is no longer the case: spurred on by other disciplines, notably biological oceanography, and by public concern with the environment, the physical science of the coastal ocean has made giant strides during the last two decades or so. Today, it is probably fair to say that coastal ocean physics has come of age as a deduc tive quantitative science. A well developed body of theoretical models exist, based on the equations of fluid motion, which have been related to observed currents, sea level variations, water properties, etc. Quantitative parameters required in using the models to predict e.g. the effects of wind or of freshwater influx on coastal currents can be estimated within reasonable bounds of error. While much remains to be learned, and many exciting discoveries presumably await us in the future, the time seems appropriate to summarize those aspects of coastal ocean dynamics relevant to 'circulation' or long term motion.

This is a book which will be welcomed not only by researchers and engineers, but also by teachers and students, as it contains the only comprehensive review of the dynamics of ocean waves. Existing books are now either out of date or restricted to specialized aspects of the subject, whereas this book covers all types of ocean waves, ranging from capillary to planetary waves. Because of its completeness of coverage, its use of elementary mathematics and the provision of numerous problems and exercises, the book will be an indispensable text for everyone. It is completed by a very lengthy bibliography which includes many references to the Russian literature.

This book presents an extensive analysis of the dynamics of discrete and distributed baroclinic vortices in a multi-layer fluid that characterizes the main features of the large and mesoscales dynamics of the atmosphere and the ocean. It widely covers the case of hetonic situations as well as the case of intrathermocline vortices that are familiar in oceanographic and of recognized importance for heat and mass transfers. Extensive typology of such baroclinic eddies is made and analysed with the help of theoretical development and numerical computations. As a whole it gives an overview and synthesis of all the many situations that can be encountered based on the long history of the theory of vortex motion and on many new situations. It gives a renewed insight on the extraordinary richness of vortex dynamics and open the way for new theoretical, observational and experimental advances. This volume is of interest to experts in physical oceanography, meteorology, hydrodynamics, dynamic systems, involved in theoretical, experimental and applied research and lecturers, post-graduate students, and students in these fields.