arXiv subjects

Omar Knio

Publications and source records attributed to Omar Knio.

22 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2019

Efficient Dynamical Downscaling of General Circulation Models Using Continuous Data Assimilation

Continuous data assimilation (CDA) is successfully implemented for the first time for efficient dynamical downscaling of a global atmospheric reanalysis. A comparison of the performance of CDA with the standard grid and spectral nudging techniques for representing long- and short-scale features in the downscaled fields using the Weather Research and Forecast (WRF) model is further presented and analyzed. The WRF model is configured at 25km horizontal resolution and is driven by 250km initial and boundary conditions from NCEP/NCAR reanalysis fields. Downscaling experiments are performed over a one-month period in January, 2016. The similarity metric is used to evaluate the performance of the downscaling methods for large and small scales. Similarity results are compared for the outputs of the WRF model with different downscaling techniques, NCEP reanalysis, and Final Analysis. Both spectral nudging and CDA describe better the small-scale features compared to grid nudging. The choice of the wave number is critical in spectral nudging; increasing the number of retained frequencies generally produced better small-scale features, but only up to a certain threshold after which its solution gradually became closer to grid nudging. CDA maintains the balance of the large- and small-scale features similar to that of the best simulation achieved by the best spectral nudging configuration, without the need of a spectral decomposition. The different downscaled atmospheric variables, including rainfall distribution, with CDA is most consistent with the observations. The Brier skill score values further indicate that the added value of CDA is distributed over the entire model domain. The overall results clearly suggest that CDA provides an efficient new approach for dynamical downscaling by maintaining better balance between the global model and the downscaled fields.

physics.ao-ph↗

arXiv2019

Well-posedness of time-fractional, advection-diffusion-reaction equations

We establish the well-posedness of an initial-boundary value problem for a general class of time-fractional, advection-diffusion-reaction equations, allowing space- and time-dependent coefficients as well as initial data that may have low regularity. Our analysis relies on novel energy methods in combination with a fractional Gronwall inequality and properties of fractional integrals.

math.AP↗

arXiv2008

Critical Solutions of Three Vortex Motion in the Parabolic Case

Grobli (1877) laid the foundation for the analysis of the motion of three point vortices in a plane by deriving governing equations for triangular configurations of the vortices. Synge (1949) took this formulation one step further to that of a similar triangle of unit perimeter, via trilinear coordinates. The final reduced problem is governed by an integrable two-dimensional system of differential equations with solutions represented as planar trajectories. Another key to Synge's analysis was his classification of the problem into three distinct cases: elliptic, hyperbolic and parabolic corresponding, respectively, to the sum of products of pairs of vortex strengths being positive, negative or zero. The reduction of the vortex configuration, a curve in space to a planar curve is one-to-one, except along a critical planar curve C in the parabolic case. Each point on C represents a triangle of unit perimeter corresponding to a family of similar vortex configurations, expanding or contracting. The latter would lead to coelescence of the three vortices. Tavantzis and Ting (1988) filled most of the gaps left by Synge regarding the dynamics of the problem, and showed in particular that points on C corresponding to similar expanding families of vortex configurations are stable while those corresponding to similar contracting families are unstable. Their investigations yielded an exhaustive description of the motion and stability of three vortices in a plane except for the global behavior of the vortex configurations in a narrow strip containing C. The main contribution of this paper is a complete description of the global dynamics in such a strip, which emphaticallly demonstrates that three distinct vortices almost never coalesce.

math.DS↗

arXiv2006

Perturbed Three Vortex Dynamics

It is well known that the dynamics of three point vortices moving in an ideal fluid in the plane can be expressed in Hamiltonian form, where the resulting equations of motion are completely integrable in the sense of Liouville and Arnold. The focus of this investigation is on the persistence of regular behavior (especially periodic motion) associated to completely integrable systems for certain (admissible) kinds of Hamiltonian perturbations of the three vortex system in a plane. After a brief survey of the dynamics of the integrable planar three vortex system, it is shown that the admissible class of perturbed systems is broad enough to include three vortices in a half-plane, three coaxial slender vortex rings in three-space, and `restricted' four vortex dynamics in a plane. Included are two basic categories of results for admissible perturbations: (i) general theorems for the persistence of invariant tori and periodic orbits using Kolmogorov-Arnold-Moser and Poincare-Birkhoff type arguments; and (ii) more specific and quantitative conclusions of a classical perturbation theory nature guaranteeing the existence of periodic orbits of the perturbed system close to cycles of the unperturbed system, which occur in abundance near centers. In addition, several numerical simulations are provided to illustrate the validity of the theorems as well as indicating their limitations as manifested by transitions to chaotic dynamics.

math.DS↗