Towing Tank Studies of Stratified Flow Over Ridges and Valleys

摘要

Stable atmospheric flow over a ridge and a valley was simulated in a large towing tank filled with stratified salt water. Flow visualization experiments were conducted using colored dye streamers and 10 cm high models with sinusoidal cross-sections. These experiments provided qualitative data on the structure of the flow field over the ridges and within the valley. They also provided quantitative data on the height of the dividing streamline which separates the fluid that flows over a ridge from that which flows around the ends. These data agree with an existing theory based upon the potential energy barrier associated with flow over the ridge.