Skip to main content
profile image
Selected Works of Boris Galperin
Article
On the Critical Richardson Number in Stably Stratified Turbulence
Atmospheric Science Letters
  • Boris Galperin, University of South Florida
  • Semion Sukoriansky, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
  • Philip S. Anderson, Antarctic Climate and the Earth System Programme, British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge CB3 0ET, UK
Link Find in your library
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1-2007
Keywords
  • turbulence,
  • stable stratification,
  • critical Richardson number
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.1002/asl.153
Disciplines
Abstract

The critical Richardson number, Ric, is used in studies of stably stratified turbulence as a measure of flow laminarization. The accepted range of Ric is between 0.2 and 1. A growing body of experimental and observational data indicates, however, that turbulence survives for Ri ≫ 1. This result is supported by a new spectral theory of turbulence that accounts for strong anisotropy and waves. The anisotropization results in the enhanced horizontal mixing of both momentum and scalar. Internal wave contribution preserves vertical momentum mixing above its molecular level. In the absence of laminarization, Ric becomes devoid of its conventional meaning. Copyright © 2007 Royal Meteorological Society

Citation / Publisher Attribution

Atmospheric Science Letters, v. 8, issue 3, p. 65-69

Citation Information
Boris Galperin, Semion Sukoriansky and Philip S. Anderson. "On the Critical Richardson Number in Stably Stratified Turbulence" Atmospheric Science Letters Vol. 8 Iss. 3 (2007) p. 65 - 69
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/boris-galperin/43/