Abstract
Geophysical fluid dynamics (GFD) is an interdisciplinary field that studies the large-scale motion of fluids in the natural world. With a wide range of applications such as weather forecasts and climate prediction, GFD employs various research approaches including in-situ observations, satellite measurements, numerical simulations, theoretical analysis, artificial intelligence, and physical model experiments in laboratory. Among these approaches, rotating tank experiments provide a valuable tool for simulating naturally-occurring fluid motions in laboratories. With proportional scaling and proper techniques, scientists can reproduce multi-scale physical processes of stratified fluids in the rotation system, which allows for the simulation of essential characteristics of fluid motions in the atmosphere and oceans. In this review, rotating tanks of various scales in the world are introduced, as these tanks have been actively used to explore fundamental scientific questions in ocean and atmosphere dynamics. To illustrate the GFD experiments, three representative cases are presented to demonstrate the frontier achievements in the the GFD study by using rotating tank experiments: mesoscale eddies in the ocean, convection processes, and plume dynamics. Detailed references for the experimental procedures are provided. Future studies are encouraged to further explore the utilization of rotating tanks with improvements in experimental design and integration of other research methods. This is a promising direction of GFD to help enhance our understanding of the complex nature of fluid motions in the natural world and to address the challenges posed by global environmental changes.
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Data Availability Statement
The datasets generated and analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
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Supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (Nos. 2017YFA0604100, 2016YFC1402004, 2017YFC1404200) and the Program for Innovation Research and Entrepreneurship Team in Jiangsu Province, the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 41476022, 41490643)
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Dong, C., Lu, X., Liu, Y. et al. Rotating tank experiments for the study of geophysical fluid dynamics. J. Ocean. Limnol. (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00343-024-3221-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00343-024-3221-y