Nonlinear Processes in Geophysical Fluid Dynamics: A tribute to the scientific work of Pedro Ripa - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1402015895 ISBN 13: 9781402015892

Publisher: Springer, 2003

Synopsis

Thisvolumecontainsacollectionofpapersbyinternationalexpertsingeoph- ical ?uid dynamics, based upon presentations at a colloquium held in memory of Pedro Ripa on the ?rst anniversary of his untimely death. They review or present recent developments in hydrodynamic stability theory, Hamiltonian ?uid mechanics,balanceddynamics, waves,vortices,generaloceanographyand the physical oceanography of the Gulf ofCalifornia; all of them subjects in which Professor Ripamadeimportant contributions. His work, but also his friendly spiritandkindnesswerehighly regardedandappreciatedby colleagues and students alike around the world. This book is a tribute to his scienti?c legacy and constitutes a valuable reference for researchers and graduate s- dents interested in geophysical and general ?uid mechanics. Earlyin his career asa physicaloceanographer,Pedro Ripa made two la- mark contributions to geophysical ?uid dynamics. In 1981, he showed that the conservation of the potential vorticity is related to the invariance of the eq- tions of motion under the symmetry transformationsof the labels that identify the ?uid particles. That is, potential vorticity conservation is a consequence, via Noether's theorem, of the particle re-labelling symmetry. Two years later he published a paper entitled "General stability conditions for zonal ?ows in a one-layer model on the beta-plane or the sphere", where he established nec- sary conditions for stability in the shallow water equations, nowadays known as "Ripa's Theorem. " This is one of the very few Arnol'd-like stability con- tions that goes beyond two-dimensional or quasi-geostrophic ?ow, and stands alongside other famous stability criteria in making the foundations of the ?eld.

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Review

From the reviews:

"This book contains the papers presented at a colloquium held in memory of professor Pedro Ripa on the first anniversary of this sudden death. ... The book is written in a precise and very readable style; there are many useful reflections and figures throughout. ... could be recommended not only to researchers but generally to all scientists and graduate students interested in various aspects of environmental sciences." (Andrzej Icha, Pure and Applied Geophysics, Vol. 165, 2008)

Synopsis

This volume deals with various nonlinear phenomena in geophysical flows. Processes studied are, among others, the stability of currents and vortices, internal wave generation and propagation, and atmosphere-ocean interaction. The geographic extent of the processes discussed range from the local (the Gulf of California and other marginal seas) to the global (the general oceanic circulation). The studies contained in this volume are based on observations (in situ as well as satellite measurements), theoretical analysis (Hamiltonian fluid dynamics and stability theory), numerical simulations and laboratory experiments.

Edition details

• Publisher: Springer
• Publication date: 2003
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1402015895
• ISBN 13: 9781402015892
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 387
• Editor: Velasco Fuentes O.U., Sheinbaum J., Ochoa J.