The thesis examines the applicability of a two-dimensional flow acceleration model to describe a terrain-induced flow perturbation as measured at Yaquina Head on the central Oregon coast. The geometry of Yaquina Head together with the upstream wind values were used in estimating hilltop winds. These estimates compare well with the observed wind values. A second method to estimate the hilltop winds was attempted by developing a mean ratio of Yaquina Head winds to the upstream Yaquina South Jetty winds. This ratio was taken from one winter's data and used to estimate the next winter hilltop winds. The same upstream wind values were used with this method as were used with the geometric model. Statistical evaluation in the form of regression analysis was performed to determine the ability of the geometric and statistical models to estimate the hilltop wind on Yaquina Head. It was found that both models did reasonably well but that neither model was appreciably better than the other. / Graduation date: 1979

Graduation date: 1984

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

Thesis (M.S.)--Joint Program in Oceanography/ Applied Ocean Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 2006. / "September 2006." Bibliography: p. 97-106.

Preliminary results of a two-layer quasi-geostrophic box model of a wind-driven ocean are presented. The new aspects of this work in relation with conventional eddy models are a finite element formulation of the quasi-geostrophic equations and the use of no-slip boundary condition on the horizontal solid boundaries. In contrast to eddy resolving models that utilize free-slip boundary conditions our results suggest that the obtention of ocean eddies with the no-slip constraints requires a more restricted range of parameters, in particular much lower horizontal eddy viscosity eddy coefficients AH and higher Froude numbers F₁ and F₂. We show explicitly that a given range of parameters, which is eddy generating when the free-slip boundary condition is used, leads to a quasi-laminar flow in both, upper and lower, layers. An analytical model to interpret the numerical results is put forth. It is an extension of an earlier model of Ierley and Young (1983) in that the relative vorticity terms are of primary importance for the dynamics. Thus, it is shown that the boundary layer dynamics is active in the interior of the second layer, and it can be concluded from our method that for given F₁ and F₂ such that the lower layer geostrophic contours are closed, to the existence of the western boundary layer will prevent the homogenization of the potential vorticity so long as AH is large enough to stabilize the northwestern undulations of the flow. / Science, Faculty of / Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Department of / Graduate

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No description available.

Graduation date: 1982