Profile

Prof David Dritschel
Professor
Research Overview:
I have sought to combine theoretical analysis and numerical computation in the study of fundamental aspects of atmospheric and oceanic fluid dynamics, in particular vortex dynamics. The atmosphere and oceans are hugely influenced by both the background planetary rotation as well as the density stratification. These effects, together with the shallow flow geometry (typical horizontal scales are 10 to 100 times larger than typical vertical scales), constrain the motion to be approximately layerwise two-dimensional. This means that vertical motion tends to be very weak compared to horizontal motion over much of the atmosphere and oceans, and stratification surfaces tend to be nearly flat. On these surfaces, a scalar quantity called the "potential vorticity" is often, to a good approximation, conserved following fluid "particles". That is, the potential vorticity (PV) is advected or transported by the nearly horizontal flow on these surfaces.
I have developed a series of lagrangian or partly-lagrangian numerical methods that allow one to accurately conserve potential vorticity, something which is not easy to do using commonly-used numerical methods. These methods have permitted a careful investigation of a range of fundamental processes, including vortex filamentation, stripping, merging, splitting, collapsing, etc, mainly in two-dimensional (height-independent) flows but recently also in three-dimensional flows . Further recent numerical developments have also permitted a careful assessment of the role of gravity waves in single-layer shallow-water flows and internal gravity waves in two- and three-dimensional Boussinesq (ocean-like) flows.
Current research is aimed at building more realistic atmospheric and oceanic models based in part on the numerical methods above, and in collaboration with the European Centre for Medium-range Weather Forecasting and the UK Meteorological Office.
For further information, see the Vortex Dynamics Research Group
50 (of 163 /dk/atira/pure/researchoutput/status/published available) for dgd1 (source: University of St Andrews PURE)
Please click title of any item for full details
Journal of Fluid Mechanics 2021 vol. 911
Physics of Fluids 2020 vol. 32
Proceedings of the Royal Society A - Mathematical, Physical & Engineering Sciences 2020 vol. 476
Physical Review D - Particles, Fields, Gravitation and Cosmology 2020 vol. 101
Journal of Fluid Mechanics 2020 vol. 900
Geophysical & Astrophysical Fluid Dynamics 2020 vol. 114 pp. 561-587
Ocean Science 2020 vol. 16 pp. 1089–1093
Physics of Fluids 2020 vol. 32
Journal of Fluid Mechanics 2020 vol. 900
Archive for Rational Mechanics and Analysis 2019 vol. 231 pp. 1853-1915
Journal of Fluid Mechanics 2019 vol. 866
Journal of Fluid Mechanics 2019 vol. 865 pp. 100-136
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society. A, Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences 2019 vol. 377 pp. 1-11
Journal of Fluid Mechanics 2019 vol. 863
Journal of Fluid Mechanics 2019 vol. 863 pp. 60-78
2019 pp. 238-246
Journal of Fluid Mechanics 2018 vol. 857 pp. 38-60
Water Resources Research 2018 vol. 54 pp. 1428-1459
Journal of Fluid Mechanics 2018 vol. 848 pp. 388-410
Journal of Fluid Mechanics 2017 vol. 822 pp. 689-716
Physical Review Fluids 2017 vol. 2
Fluids 2017 vol. 2
Physics of Fluids 2017 vol. 29
Journal of Fluid Mechanics 2017 vol. 816 pp. 586-618
Journal of Fluid Mechanics 2017 vol. 812 pp. 541-577
Physics of Fluids 2017 vol. 29
Journal of Fluid Mechanics 2016 vol. 802 pp. 333-358
Geophysical and Astrophysical Fluid Dynamics 2016 vol. 110 pp. 461-490
2016 pp. 1005
Geophysical and Astrophysical Fluid Dynamics 2016 vol. 110 pp. 491-517
Proceedings of the Royal Society A - Mathematical, Physical & Engineering Sciences 2016 vol. 472 pp. 1-20
Monthly Weather Review 2016 vol. 144 pp. 2481-2502
Journal of Fluid Mechanics 2015 vol. 777 pp. 569-590
Journal of Fluid Mechanics 2015 vol. 762 pp. 196-231
Physical Review. E, Statistical, nonlinear, and soft matter physics 2015 vol. 91
Journal of Fluid Mechanics 2015 vol. 783 pp. 1-22
Proceedings of the Royal Society A - Mathematical, Physical & Engineering Sciences 2015 vol. 471 pp. 1-25
Physical Review Letters 2014 vol. 112 pp. 1-5
Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society 2014 vol. 140 pp. 2444-2464
Journal of Fluid Mechanics 2014 vol. 743 pp. 481-502
Journal of Fluid Mechanics 2013 vol. 721
Journal of Fluid Mechanics 2013 vol. 723 pp. 40-68
Physics of Fluids 2013 vol. 25
Physics of Fluids 2013 vol. 25
Geophysical and Astrophysical Fluid Dynamics 2012 vol. 106 pp. 45-66
Physics of Fluids 2012 vol. 24
Geophysical and Astrophysical Fluid Dynamics 2012 vol. 106 pp. 574-595
Journal of Fluid Mechanics 2012 vol. 711 pp. 576-598
Journal of Fluid Mechanics 2012 vol. 703 pp. 85-98
Contact Details:
Prof David DritschelMathematical Institute
University of St Andrews
North Haugh
St Andrews
University of St Andrews
Fife
UK
tel: 01334 46 3721
fax:
room:
email: dgd1@st-andrews.ac.uk
Related:
research@st-andrewsMathematics Staff Page
School of Mathematics & Statistics
Scottish Oceans Institute
Institute for Data-Intensive Research
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The Secretary
Scottish Oceans Institute
Institiud Chuantan na h-Alba
Gatty Marine Laboratory
East Sands St Andrews
KY16 8LB
Scotland
UK
tel: +44 (0) 1334 463472
fax: +44 (0) 1334 463443
email: soi@st-andrews.ac.uk
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