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Visualization of the turbulent flow structure in a gravel‐bed river
Author(s) -
Kirkbride Alistair D.,
McLelland Stuart J.
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
earth surface processes and landforms
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.294
H-Index - 127
eISSN - 1096-9837
pISSN - 0197-9337
DOI - 10.1002/esp.3290190909
Subject(s) - turbulence , visualization , geology , flow (mathematics) , shear stress , flow visualization , vector field , geotechnical engineering , computer science , mechanics , data mining , physics
A novel technique for visualizing turbulent flow data from a gravel‐bed river is presented. The time development of flow velocity and shear stress at three heights is displayed using a computer program. This can be used to observe how the fluctuations of velocity and shear stress interact both spatially and temporally. We highlight examples of flow events which are important for the understanding of flow dynamics. The visualization suggests that the turbulent flow‐field is characterized not only by coherence over time at a point, but also by spatial interdependence between points. We suggest that this new visualization approach will assist further interpretation of statistical analyses of turbulent signals, as well as focusing future measurement strategies by providing a clearer spatio‐temporal picture of the flow structure.