Lee wave breaking region: The map of instability development scenarios

Abstract

Numerical study of a stably stratified flow above the two-dimensional cosine-shaped obstacle has been performed by DNS and LES. These methods were implemented to solve the three-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations in the Boussinesq approximation, together with by the scalar diffusion equation. The results of scanning in the wide ranges of physical parameters (Reynolds and Prandtl/Schmidt numbers relating to laboratory experiment cases and atmospheric or oceanic situations) are presented for instability and turbulence development scenarios in the overturning internal lee waves. The latter is generated by the obstacle in a flow with the constant inflow values of velocity and stable density gradient. Evolution of lee-wave breaking is explored by visualization of velocity and scalar (density) fields, and the analysis of spectra. Based on the numerical simulation results, the power-law dependence on Reynolds number is demonstrated for the wavelength of the most unstable perturbation.