Publication Date:
1994-12-31
Description:
Shear flow in a stable stratification provides a waveguide for internal gravity waves. In the inviscid approximation, internal gravity waves are known to be unstable below a threshold in Richardson number. However, in a viscous fluid, at low enough Reynolds number, this threshold recedes to Ri = 0. Nevertheless, even the slightest viscosity strongly damps internal gravity waves when the Richardson number is small (shear forces dominate buoyant forces). In this paper we address the dynamics that approximately govern wave propagation when the Richardson number is small and the fluid is viscous. When Ri
Print ISSN:
1023-5809
Electronic ISSN:
1607-7946
Topics:
Geosciences
,
Physics
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