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An internal wave in a viscous heat-conducting isothermal atmosphere

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 March 2006

T. N. Stevenson
Affiliation:
Department of the Mechanics of Fluids, University of Manchester, England
J. N. Bearon
Affiliation:
Department of the Mechanics of Fluids, University of Manchester, England
N. H. Thomas
Affiliation:
Department of the Mechanics of Fluids, University of Manchester, England

Abstract

The effects of viscosity and heat conduction on the propagation of an internal wave generated by a simple harmonic localized disturbance are considered for the case of an isothermal compressible atmosphere. A similarity solution of the linearized equations shows that the velocities decay and the wave width increases away from the disturbance. Superpositions of this solution show how a few waves of small wavelength attenuate rapidly whereas waves of larger wavelength can increase in amplitude as they propagate upwards before eventually attenuating.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© 1974 Cambridge University Press

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