Open AccessInfluence of initial conditions on absolute and relative dispersion in semi-enclosed basins
Author(s) -
Francesco Enrile,
Giovanni Besio,
Alessandro Stocchino,
Marcello G. Magaldi
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0217073
Subject(s) - dispersion (optics) , mixing (physics) , scale (ratio) , mathematics , stability (learning theory) , work (physics) , quadratic equation , mechanics , mathematical analysis , statistical physics , physics , thermodynamics , computer science , geometry , optics , quantum mechanics , machine learning
Absolute and relative dispersion are fundamental quantities employed in order to assess the mixing strength of a basin. There exists a time scale called Lagrangian Integral Scale associated to absolute dispersion that highlights the occurrence of the transition from a quadratic dependence on time to a linear dependence on time. Such a time scale is commonly adopted as an indicator of the duration needed to lose the influence of the initial conditions. This work aims to show that in a semi-enclosed basin the choice of the formulation in order to calculate the absolute dispersion can lead to different results. Moreover, the influence of initial conditions can persist beyond the Lagrangian Integral Scale. Such an influence can be appreciated by evaluating absolute and relative dispersion recursively by changing the initial conditions. Furthermore, finite-size Lyapunov exponents characterize the different regimes of the basin.