APPLIED MATH SEMINAR

Speaker: Joerg Schumacher, Institute for Thermo and Fluid Dynamics, Ilmenau University of Technology, Germany

Title:
Numerical studies in shallow moist convection

When/where: Tuesday, April 20th, 4:15PM, AKW 200

Abstract:
Convective turbulence with phase changes and latent release is an
important dynamical process in the atmosphere of the Earth which causes,
e.g., the formation of clouds. Here we study moist convection in a
simplified setting - shallow and nonprecipitating moist Rayleigh-Benard
convection with a piecewise linear thermodynamics on both sides of the
phase boundary. The presented model is a first nontrivial extension of
the classical dry Rayleigh-Benard convection. The equations of motion,
and the fully developed turbulent dynamics in very flat Cartesian cells
are presented. We discuss the relation between the buoyancy flux across the
layer and the resulting cloud patterns.