In plume theory it is generally assumed that a plume issuing from a round source maintains a round cross section throughout. The consequences of this hypothesis are significant; this fact should motivate research into its validity. This paper investigates conditions and analyzes mechanisms that cause fluid plumes to undergo systematic deformation in their cross section. The process of deformation is referred to as differential growth. In search of support for these ideas some available plume experiments are investigated and some supporting evidence is found and presented. It is argued that ambient wind and variations in vertical buoyancy cause these effects. A rudimentary examination of plume physics tends to support these ideas. Approximations for these mechanisms are developed. For simplicity an important approximation is made in characterizing the plume cross section with an ellipse. By way of illustrating the effect of such cross sections on plume dynamics the computer plume model of Winiarski and Frick is adapted for differential growth. Based on the results of these modifications of the model compared with round plume results and compared with some plume data it is found that the modified model is able to predict behavior the conventional theory does not predict. / Graduation date: 1977

Graduation date: 1995

The Fraser River plume is the brackish surface layer formed when the Fraser River discharges into the Strait of Georgia. Two approaches to understanding the dynamics of the plume are discussed. Initially, a series of field observations was carried out in the plume. These consisted mainly of CSTD profiles and current profiles in the upper 10-20 meters of the water column. Also, a surface current meter was installed for 34 days at the mouth of the Fraser River. The principal conclusions of the field observations are: the plume is strongly sheared in the vertical and strongly stratified; this vertical structure is most apparent in the vicinity of the river mouth, and around the time of maximum river discharge (near low water in the Strait); and that the water moving outward from the river mouth subsequently acquires velocities and salinities appropriate to the water beneath it with length and time scales for this change of order 50 km and 8 hours. The plume thickness varies between 0 and 10 meters; the salinity varies from 0 to that of the water beneath it (approx. 25 ‰); and the difference between the plume velocity and that of the water beneath it varies from up to 3.5 m/sec to 0 m/sec, and is typically of order 0.5 m/sec over much of the plume area. Inspired by the field data, a model of the thin upper layer was developed. The independent variables are the two components of transport in the upper layer, the thickness of the layer, and the integrated salinity in the upper layer. The bottom of the upper layer has been tentatively defined by an isopycnal surface. The mixing across this interface is modelled by an upward flux of salt water (entrainment), and a downward flux of brackish water (termed depletion in this work). The dynamical effects included in this model are: the local time derivative; the field accelerations; the buoyant spreading pressure gradient (including the effects of salinity on the density field); the entrainment of tidally moving water and the loss by the depletion mechanism of water with the plume momentum; the frictional stress between the plume and the water beneath it; the forcing due to the baroclinic tidal slopes; and the Coriolis force. Subsets of the full model equations are examined, to clarify certain aspects of the plume dynamics. Preliminary results from the numerical solution of the full model eguations are presented, and a comparison is made between the paths of lagrangian trackers produced by the model and drogue tracks observed in the plume. Future improvements to the model are discussed. / Science, Faculty of / Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Department of / Graduate

Graduation date: 1994

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Alberta, 2009. / Title from pdf file main screen (viewed on Dec. 22, 2009). "A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Mathematics, Department of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, University of Alberta." Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S. in Astronautical Engineering, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineer) Naval Postgraduate School, Dec. 2001. / Thesis advisors: Christopher Brophy, Jose Sinibaldi, Ashok Gopinath. "December 2001." Includes bibliographical references (p. 73). Also available in print.

Thesis (MS)--University of Montana, 2007. / "Major Subject: Geology" Title from author supplied metadata. Contents viewed on November 11, 2009. Includes bibliographical references.

Spatial and temporal variation in inorganic contaminant concentration and distribution in a landfill leachate plume is examined to determine the mechanisms responsible for the observed variation, and to provide an assessment of the implications of this variation with respect to the interpretation of monitoring data, specifically with regards to its application to geochemical modelling. An integrated approach to field investigation was utilised in this study, including sample collection from a network of standard and bundled piezometers, surface and borehole geophysical investigation techniques, and a manometer board for the measurement of hydraulic head in bundled piezometers. Nine groundwater sampling events were conducted over a 12 month period, with sample analyses comprising field measurement of water quality parameters and redox sensitive elements, and laboratory analysis for major and trace elements and stable isotopes (??18O, ??2H, ??13C-DIC, ??15N). The vertical position of the centre of mass of the leachate plume was observed to vary up to 2 metres between monitoring events, and concentrations of key indicator parameters were observed to fluctuate by as much as 160%. The electrical images created by surface resistivity transects along a groundwater flow path between the landfill and a groundwater-fed pond a short distance downgradient suggest a plume configuration characterised by discrete pulses of concentrated leachate migrating in a conservative manner between the landfill and the pond. It is hypothesized that these leachate slugs are flushed into the aquifer during sustained periods of rainfall, presumed to be a significant driver of leachate mobilisation into the underlying aquifer. The most significant hydrogeochemical processes affecting contaminant mobilisation, transport and attenuation in the leachate-impacted shallow aquifer included microbial degradation of organic waste, dissolution of inorganic waste, ion exchange, precipitation of sulfide and carbonate minerals, mixing with rainfall recharge along flow path, and redox transformations along the plume fringe. These processes are supported by hydrogeochemical data analysis, and generally agree with the results of inverse geochemical modelling. While analysis of detailed groundwater monitoring appears to provide a plausible description of the plume dynamics, the results of the electrical resistivity transects indicates a more varied and complex plume configuration than is suggested by the borehole data alone. This integration of investigation techniques underscores the inherent inadequacy of even a high-resolution monitoring well network to accurately describe the full extent of variation in time and space within a contaminant plume, even in a relatively simple aquifer environment, and accentuates the potentially significant limitations of site-scale hydrogeochemical interpretation based solely on borehole monitoring data.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Wyoming, 2008. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on August 5, 2009). Includes bibliographical references (p. 261-271).

Thesis (M.S.)--Joint Program in Oceanography/ Applied Ocean Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 81-84).