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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Glacial Shortcut Of Arctic Sea-Ice Transport, Michael Stärz, Xun Gong, Rüdiger Stein, Dennis A. Darby, Frank Kauker, Gerrit Lohmann Dec 2012

Glacial Shortcut Of Arctic Sea-Ice Transport, Michael Stärz, Xun Gong, Rüdiger Stein, Dennis A. Darby, Frank Kauker, Gerrit Lohmann

OES Faculty Publications

Due to the lack of data, the extent, thickness and drift patterns of sea ice and icebergs in the glacial Arctic remains poorly constrained. Earlier studies are contradictory proposing either a cessation of the marine cryosphere or an ice drift system operating like present-day. Here we examine the marine Arctic cryosphere during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) using a high-resolution, regional ocean-sea ice model. Whereas modern sea ice in the western Arctic Basin can circulate in the Beaufort Gyre for decades, our model studies present an extreme shortcut of glacial ice drift. In more detail, our results show a clockwise …


Modeling, Visualizing, And Understanding Complex Tectonic Structures On The Surface And In The Sub-Surface, Steven Wild Jul 2012

Modeling, Visualizing, And Understanding Complex Tectonic Structures On The Surface And In The Sub-Surface, Steven Wild

Physics Theses & Dissertations

Plate tectonics is a relatively new theory with many details of plate dynamics which remain to be worked out. Moving plates can interact by divergence, lateral sliding, convergence, or collision. At a convergent plate boundary, a lithospheric slab of oceanic crust and upper mantle is subducted at a trench and dips down under a magmatic arc — either oceanic or continental. Textbooks show a static view of convergent boundaries but plate dynamics require that subduction zones and magmatic arcs must migrate with time. Therefore I develop animated models to help convey this motion. Also, convergent plate boundaries cannot continue along …


The Influence Of Non-Equilibrium Pressure On Rotating Flows, Irfan Rashid Zardadkhan Jul 2012

The Influence Of Non-Equilibrium Pressure On Rotating Flows, Irfan Rashid Zardadkhan

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

This study was undertaken to investigate the influence of pressure relaxation on steady, incompressible flows with strong streamline curvature. In the early part of this dissertation research, the significance of non-equilibrium pressure forces in controlling the structure of a steady, two dimensional axial vortex was demonstrated. In order to extend the study of pressure relaxation influences on more complex rotating flows, this dissertation has examined other rotating flow features that can be associated with hurricanes, tornadoes and dust devils. To model these flows, modified boundary layer equations were developed for a fluid column rotating near a solid plane including the …


Gravity Anomalies Along The East Scotia Ridge: Constraining The Relative Importance Of Magmatic And Tectonic Controls On Crustal Accretion, Briton Lee Nicholson Jul 2012

Gravity Anomalies Along The East Scotia Ridge: Constraining The Relative Importance Of Magmatic And Tectonic Controls On Crustal Accretion, Briton Lee Nicholson

OES Theses and Dissertations

Similar to regions such as the Lau Basin and the Caribbean Sea, the eastern Scotia Sea is a geologically complex area that involves multiple plate boundary types. This study uses bathymetry and gravity data to infer upper mantle geodynamics in the eastern Scotia Sea region. Beneath this region is an intermediate-rate back-arc spreading center known as the East Scotia Ridge (ESR) that forms the boundary between the Scotia and Sandwich plates. To the east of the ESR are the South Sandwich island arc and the South Sandwich Trench. The ESR is a relatively young feature, with spreading estimated to have …


Could Satellite Altimetry Have Improved Early Detection And Warning Of The 2011 Tohoku Tsunami?, B. D. Hamlington, R. R. Leben, O. A. Godin, E. Gica, V. V. Titov, B. J. Haines, S. D. Desai Jan 2012

Could Satellite Altimetry Have Improved Early Detection And Warning Of The 2011 Tohoku Tsunami?, B. D. Hamlington, R. R. Leben, O. A. Godin, E. Gica, V. V. Titov, B. J. Haines, S. D. Desai

CCPO Publications

The 2011 Tohoku tsunami devastated Japan and affected coastal populations all around the Pacific Ocean. Accurate early warning of an impending tsunami requires the detection of the tsunami in the open ocean. While the lead-time was not sufficient for use in warning coastal populations in Japan, satellite altimetry observations of the tsunami could have been used to improve predictions and warnings for other affected areas. By comparing to both model results and historical satellite altimeter data, we use near-real-time satellite altimeter measurements to demonstrate the potential for detecting the 2011 Tohoku tsunami within a few hours of the tsunami being …


The Reduction Of Storm Surge By Vegetation Canopies: Three-Dimensional Simulations, Y. Peter Sheng, Andrew Lapetina, Gangfeng Ma Jan 2012

The Reduction Of Storm Surge By Vegetation Canopies: Three-Dimensional Simulations, Y. Peter Sheng, Andrew Lapetina, Gangfeng Ma

Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Significant buffering of storm surges by vegetation canopies has been suggested by limited observations and simple numerical studies, particularly following recent Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma. Here we simulate storm surge and inundation over idealized topographies using a three-dimensional vegetation-resolving storm surge model coupled to a shallow water wave model and show that a sufficiently wide and tall vegetation canopy reduces inundation on land by 5 to 40 percent, depending upon various storm and canopy parameters. Effectiveness of the vegetation in dissipating storm surge and inundation depends on the intensity and forward speed of the hurricane, as well as the …