arXiv subjects

Marcelo Chamecki

Publications and source records attributed to Marcelo Chamecki.

11 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Diapycnal material transport driven by submesoscale frontogenesis

Submesoscale fronts, occurring at intermediate scales between mesoscale eddies and boundary layer turbulence, play a crucial role in driving vertical transport from the ocean surface into the interior. Their dynamics involve complex interactions between submesoscale currents and turbulence. However, the mechanisms by which these multiscale processes combine to transport tracers such as pollutants or nutrients remain less well understood. This study uses large-eddy simulation to investigate passive tracer transport associated with submesoscale fronts. Intense turbulence develops during frontogenesis, leading to strong diapycnal tracer transport into the ocean interior. While part of this transport arises from the direct turbulent flux, represented by the covariance between turbulent velocity and tracer concentration fluctuations, a substantial portion is due to an advective diapycnal flux driven by the mean diapycnal velocity. The mean diapycnal velocity results from the evolving secondary circulation in the presence of turbulent density mixing. These findings reveal an underexplored diapycnal transport pathway in submesoscale frontal zones, with implications for improved representation of vertical exchange in ocean models.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2024

Langmuir turbulence in suspended kelp farms

This study investigates the influence of suspended kelp farms on ocean mixed layer hydrodynamics in the presence of currents and waves. We use the large eddy simulation method, where the wave effect is incorporated by solving the wave-averaged equations. Distinct Langmuir circulation patterns are generated within various suspended farm configurations, including horizontally uniform kelp blocks and spaced kelp rows. Intensified turbulence arises from the farm-generated Langmuir circulation, as opposed to the standard Langmuir turbulence observed without a farm. The creation of Langmuir circulation within the farm is attributed to two primary factors depending on farm configuration: (1) enhanced vertical shear due to kelp frond area density variability, and (2) enhanced lateral shear due to canopy discontinuity at lateral edges of spaced rows. Both enhanced vertical and lateral shear of streamwise velocity, representing the lateral and vertical vorticity components respectively, can be tilted into downstream vorticity to create Langmuir circulation. This vorticity tilting is driven by the Craik- Leibovich vortex force associated with the Stokes drift of surface gravity waves. In addition to the farm-generated Langmuir turbulence, canopy shear layer turbulence is created at the farm bottom edge due to drag discontinuity. The intensity of different types of turbulence depends on both kelp frond area density and the geometric configuration of the farm. The farm-generated turbulence has substantial consequences for nutrient supply and kelp growth. These findings also underscore the significance of the presence of obstacle structures in modifying ocean mixed layer characteristics.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2023

On the departure from Monin-Obukhov surface similarity and transition to the convective mixed layer

Large-eddy simulations are used to evaluate mean profile similarity in the convective boundary layer (CBL). Particular care is taken regarding the grid sensitivity of the profiles and the mitigation of inertial oscillations in the simulation spin-up. The nondimensional gradients $\phi$ for wind speed and air temperature generally align with Monin-Obukhov similarity across cases but have a steeper slope than predicted within each profile. The same trend has been noted in several other recent studies. The Businger-Dyer relations are modified here with an exponential cutoff term to account for the decay in $\phi$ to first-order approximation, yielding improved similarity from approximately 0.05$z_i$ to above 0.3$z_i$, where $z_i$ is the CBL depth. The necessity for the exponential correction is attributed to an extended transition from surface scaling to zero gradient in the mixed layer, where the departure from Monin-Obukhov similarity may be negligible at the surface but becomes substantial well below the conventional surface layer height of 0.1$z_i$.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2023

Evidence of mixed scaling for mean profile similarity in the stable atmospheric surface layer

A new mixed scaling parameter $Z=z/\sqrt{Lh}$ is proposed for similarity in the stable atmospheric surface layer, where $z$ is the height, $L$ is the Obukhov length, and $h$ is the boundary layer depth. Compared to the parameter $ζ= z/L$ from Monin-Obukhov similarity theory (MOST), the new parameter $Z$ leads to improved mean profile similarity for wind speed and air temperature in large-eddy simulations. It also yields the same linear similarity relation for CASES-99 field measurements, including in the strongly stable (but still turbulent) regime where large deviations from MOST are observed. Results further suggest that similarity for turbulent energy dissipation rate depends on both $Z$ and $ζ$. The proposed mixed scaling of $Z$ and relevance of $h$ can be explained by physical arguments related to the limit of z-less stratification that is reached asymptotically above the surface layer. While the presented evidence and fitted similarity relations are promising, the results and arguments are limited to a small sample of idealized stationary stable boundary layers. Corroboration is needed from independent datasets and analyses, including for complex and transient conditions not tested here.

physics.ao-ph↗

arXiv2022

Turbulence organization and mean profile shapes in the stably stratified boundary layer: zones of uniform momentum and air temperature

A persistent spatial organization of eddies is identified in the lowest portion of the stably-stratified planetary boundary layer. The analysis uses flow realizations from published large-eddy simulations (Sullivan et al., J Atmos Sci 73(4):1815-1840, 2016) ranging in stability from neutral to nearly z-less stratification. The coherent turbulent structure is well approximated as a series of uniform momentum zones (UMZs) and uniform temperature zones (UTZs) separated by thin layers of intense gradients that are significantly greater than the mean. This pattern yields stairstep-like instantaneous flow profiles whose shape is distinct from the mean profiles that emerge from long-term averaging. However, the scaling of the stairstep organization is closely related to the resulting mean profiles. The differences in velocity and temperature across the thin gradient layers remain proportional to the surface momentum and heat flux conditions regardless of stratification. The vertical thickness of UMZs and UTZs is proportional to height above the surface for neutral and weak stratification, but becomes thinner and less dependent on height as the stability increases. Deviations from the logarithmic mean profiles for velocity and temperature observed under neutral conditions are therefore predominately due to the reduction in zone size with increasing stratification, which is empirically captured by existing Monin-Obukhov similarity relations for momentum and heat. The zone properties are additionally used to explain trends in the turbulent Prandtl number, thus providing a connection between the eddy organization, mean profiles, and turbulent diffusivity in stably stratified conditions.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2022

Self-similar geometries within the inertial subrange of scales in boundary layer turbulence

The inertial subrange of turbulent scales is commonly reflected by a power law signature in ensemble statistics such as the energy spectrum and structure functions - both in theory and from observations. Despite promising findings on the topic of fractal geometries in turbulence, there is no accepted image for the physical flow features corresponding to this statistical signature in the inertial subrange. The present study uses boundary layer turbulence measurements to evaluate the self-similar geometric properties of velocity isosurfaces and investigate their influence on statistics for the velocity signal. The fractal dimension of streamwise velocity isosurfaces, indicating statistical self-similarity in the size of "wrinkles" along each isosurface, is shown to be constant only within the inertial subrange of scales. For the transition between the inertial subrange and production range, it is inferred that the largest wrinkles become increasingly confined by the overall size of large-scale coherent velocity regions such as uniform momentum zones. The self-similarity of isosurfaces yields power law trends in subsequent one-dimensional statistics. For instance, the theoretical 2/3 power law exponent for the structure function can be recovered by considering the collective behavior of numerous isosurface level sets. The results suggest that the physical presence of inertial subrange eddies is manifested in the self-similar wrinkles of isosurfaces.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2021

Overlapping boundary layers in coastal oceans

Boundary layer turbulence in coastal regions differs from that in deep ocean because of bottom interactions. In this paper, we focus on the merging of surface and bottom boundary layers in a finite-depth coastal ocean by numerically solving the wave-averaged equations using a large eddy simulation method. The ocean fluid is driven by combined effects of wind stress, surface wave, and a steady current in the presence of stable vertical stratification. The resulting flow consists of two overlapping boundary layers, i.e. surface and bottom boundary layers, separated by an interior stratification. The overlapping boundary layers evolve through three phases, i.e. a rapid deepening, an oscillatory equilibrium and a prompt merger, separated by two transitions. Before the merger, internal waves are observed in the stratified layer, and they are excited mainly by Langmuir turbulence in the surface boundary layer. These waves induce a clear modulation on the bottom-generated turbulence, facilitating the interaction between the surface and bottom boundary layers. After the merger, the Langmuir circulations originally confined to the surface layer are found to grow in size and extend down to the sea bottom (even though the surface waves do not feel the bottom), reminiscent of the well-organized Langmuir supercells. These full-depth Langmuir circulations promote the vertical mixing and enhance the bottom shear, leading to a significant enhancement of turbulence levels in the vertical column.

physics.ao-ph↗

arXiv2021

Generation of attached Langmuir circulations by a suspended macroalgal farm

In this study, we focus on Langmuir turbulence in the deep ocean with the presence of a large macroalgal farm using a Large Eddy Simulation method. The wave-current interactions are modelled by solving the wave-averaged equations. The hydrodynamic process over the farm is found to drive a persistent flow pattern similar to Langmuir circulations but is locked in space across the farm. These secondary circulations are generated because the cross-stream shear produced by the rows of canopy elements leads to a steady vertical vorticity field, which is then rotated to the downstream direction under the effect of vortex force. Since the driving mechanism is similar to the CraikLeibovich type 2 instability theory, these secondary circulations are also termed as attached Langmuir circulations. We then apply a triple decomposition on the flow field to unveil the underlying kinematics and energy transfer between the mean flow, the secondary flow resulting from the farm drag, and the transient eddies. Flow visualizations and statistics suggest that the attached Langmuir circulations result from the adjustment of the upper ocean mixed layer to the macroalgal farm, and they will weaken (if not disappear) when the flow reaches an equilibrium state within the farm. The tripledecomposed energy budgets reveal that the energy of the secondary flow is transferred from the mean flow under the action of canopy drag, while the transient eddies feed on wave energy transferred by the Stokes drift and energy conversion from the secondary flow.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2019

A Population Balance Model for Large Eddy Simulation of Polydisperse Droplet Evolution

In the context of many applications of turbulent multi-phase flows, knowledge of the dispersed phase size distribution and its evolution is critical to predicting important macroscopic features. We use a population dynamics model for polydisperse droplet distributions specifically adapted to a LES framework including a model for droplet breakup due to turbulence, neglecting coalescence. Following earlier methods used in the Reynolds averaged Navier--Stokes framework, the droplet breakup due to turbulent fluctuations is modelled by treating droplet-eddy collisions as in kinetic theory of gases. In order to also model smaller droplets comparable to or smaller than the Kolmogorov scale we extend the breakup kernels using a structure function model that smoothly transitions from the inertial to the viscous range. The model includes a dimensionless coefficient that is fitted by comparing predictions in a one-dimensional version of the model with a laboratory experiment of oil droplet breakup below breaking waves. After initial comparisons of the one-dimensional model to measurements of oil droplets in an axisymmetric jet, it is then applied in a three-dimensional LES of a jet in crossflow with large oil droplets of a single size being released at the source of the jet. We model the concentration fields using $N_d =15$ bins of discrete droplet sizes and solve scalar transport equations for each bin. The resulting droplet size distributions are compared with published experimental data, and good agreement for the relative size distribution is obtained. The LES results also enable us to quantify size distribution variability. We find that the probability distribution functions of key quantities such as the total surface area and the Sauter mean diameter of oil droplets are highly variable, some displaying strong non-Gaussian intermittent behavior.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2019

The transport and deposition of heavy particles in complex terrain: insights from an Eulerian model for large eddy simulation

The transport and deposition of heavy particles over complex surface topography by turbulent fluid flow is an important problem in a number of disciplines, including sediment and snow transport, ecology and plant pathology, aeolian processes, and geomorphology. This article presents a framework to simulate the transport and deposition of heavy particles over complex surfaces using the large eddy simulation (LES) technique. An immersed boundary LES code is coupled with an Eulerian particle code that solves the advection-diffusion equation for the resolved particle concentration field. The mass conservation equation for the particle phase is discretized in a finite volume framework using a Cartesian cut cell method that reshapes finite volume cells intersected by the immersed boundary surface and conserves mass accurately. The proposed numerical model is compared with data from wind tunnel experiments of heavy particle deposition over topography and is found to have good agreement with observed deposition patterns. An LES case study of snow deposition over idealized topography leads to several new insights. Particle inertia leads to relative velocities between the particles and fluid in regions of mean flow acceleration, thereby enhancing deposition on the windward side of obstacles and suppressing deposition on the leeward side. In addition, it is found that the mean components of particle inertia are a factor of 6 or more larger than the turbulent components, indicating that the enhancement/suppression of deposition by topography can be modeled in terms of mean flow quantities.

physics.ao-ph↗

arXiv2017

High-frequency measurements of aeolian saltation flux: Field-based methodology and applications

Aeolian transport of sand and dust is driven by turbulent winds that fluctuate over a broad range of temporal and spatial scales. However, commonly used aeolian transport models do not explicitly account for such fluctuations, likely contributing to substantial discrepancies between models and measurements. Underlying this problem is the absence of accurate sand flux measurements at the short time scales at which wind speed fluctuates. Here, we draw on extensive field measurements of aeolian saltation to develop a methodology for generating high-frequency (25 Hz) time series of total (vertically-integrated) saltation flux, namely by calibrating high-frequency (HF) particle counts to low-frequency (LF) flux measurements. The methodology follows four steps: (1) fit exponential curves to vertical profiles of saltation flux from LF saltation traps, (2) determine empirical calibration factors through comparison of LF exponential fits to HF number counts over concurrent time intervals, (3) apply these calibration factors to subsamples of the saltation count time series to obtain HF height-specific saltation fluxes, and (4) aggregate the calibrated HF height-specific saltation fluxes into estimates of total saltation fluxes. When coupled to high-frequency measurements of wind velocity, this methodology offers new opportunities for understanding how aeolian saltation dynamics respond to variability in driving winds over time scales from tens of milliseconds to days.

physics.geo-ph↗