GFDI - Research @ GFDI

Research at GFDI

Geophysical fluid dynamics is an interdisciplinary field of research involving a broad range of topics and researchers from several university departments.

Sample Research Areas

Below are some examples of past and current projects of the GFDI:

Demonstration Experiments.
Modeling of Flow in the Earths Interior.
Climatology.
Mars Magnetic Field Research.

Interest Topics

You can find out more about research at GFDI by looking at some of the topics that currently hold the interest of researchers at GFDI, or by looking up the interests and projects of a specific researcher. You can also examine a complete list of previous publications. This includes a searchable database.

Demonstration Experiments.

Some easy-to-assemble demonstration experiments illustrate the basic nature of large-scale flows in rotating systems such as in weather and climate studies. [ From a talk given at Teaching Weather and Climate Using Laboratory Experiments held at University of Chicago in 2008. ]

Rotating flows
1. Taylor columns in homogeneous fluids.
2. Cones and lenses in stratified fluids.
Buoyancy-driven flows
1. Rayleigh-Benard convection
  1. Plan view
  2. Elevation
2. Hadley/Horizontal convection
  1. Non-uniform heating
  2. Non-uniform heating and salting
3. Double-diffusion
  1. Salt fingers
  2. Diffusive convection
  3. Lateral interleaving.

Download Link: 2008 Teaching Workshop Presentation
309MB .zip with Power Point file and h.264 movies

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Modeling of Flow in the Earths Interior

	A bubble of dyed water (left) rising through very viscous corn syrup provides a laboratory model of hot, buoyant material rising from great depths.
Open DX Application A computer-generated model (right) shows magnetic field perturbation near a parcel of buoyant fluid in the equatorial region of Earth’s outer core.

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Climatology

Laboratory Models of Atmospheric Flows The annulus (right) hosts a network of 2016 thermistors for measuring temperature and velocity in a moving fluid. This laboratory model provides the basis for understanding large-scale flows such as the Jet Stream diagrammed above.
	Statistical Weather Prediction Advanced statistical techniques use a large archive of data produced from a numerical simulation of the atmosphere to predict situations that are likely to produce heavy rainfall. Accurate forecasts allow communities to prepare for, an minimize, the damage caused by severe weather (left).

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Mars Magnetic Field Research

One of the ongoing research efforts at GFDI involves our participation in the analysis of data from the mapping of Mars's Magnetic fields. An example of this contribution is seen in the computer rendering of the magnetic field 100 km above Mars, with variations from crystal anomalies an order of magnitude stronger than those seen on Earth (right).

Ørsted and Mars projects

See GFDI's contributions to this project and the Ørsted Project.

The Ørsted Satellite (left) allows scientists to map the Earth's magnetic field and measure its associated high-energy charged particle environment.

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Research at GFDI

Sample Research Areas

Interest Topics

Demonstration Experiments.

Modeling of Flow in the Earths Interior

Open DX Application

Climatology

Laboratory Models of Atmospheric Flows

Statistical Weather Prediction

Mars Magnetic Field Research

Ørsted and Mars projects