Application of Large-Scale Rotating Platforms in the Study of Complex Oceanic Dynamic Processes
As the core components of geophysical dynamic system, oceans and atmospheres are dominated by the Coriolis force, which governs complex dynamic phenomena such as internal waves, gravity currents, vortices, and others involving multi-scale spatiotemporal coupling. Due to the limitations of in situ ob...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Journal of Marine Science and Engineering |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/13/6/1187 |
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| author | Xiaojie Lu Guoqing Han Yifan Lin Qian Cao Zhiwei You Jingyuan Xue Xinyuan Zhang Changming Dong |
| author_facet | Xiaojie Lu Guoqing Han Yifan Lin Qian Cao Zhiwei You Jingyuan Xue Xinyuan Zhang Changming Dong |
| author_sort | Xiaojie Lu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | As the core components of geophysical dynamic system, oceans and atmospheres are dominated by the Coriolis force, which governs complex dynamic phenomena such as internal waves, gravity currents, vortices, and others involving multi-scale spatiotemporal coupling. Due to the limitations of in situ observations, large-scale rotating tanks have emerged as critical experimental platforms for simulating Earth’s rotational effects. This review summarizes recent advancements in rotating tank applications for studying oceanic flow phenomena, including mesoscale eddies, internal waves, Ekman flows, Rossby waves, gravity currents, and bottom boundary layer dynamics. Advanced measurement techniques, such as particle image velocimetry (PIV) and planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF), have enabled quantitative analyses of internal wave breaking-induced mixing and refined investigations of vortex merging dynamics. The findings demonstrate that large-scale rotating tanks provide a controllable experimental framework for unraveling the physical essence of geophysical fluid motions. Such laboratory experimental endeavors in a rotating tank can be applied to more extensive scientific topics, in which the rotation and stratification play important roles, offering crucial support for climate model parameterization and coupled ocean–land–atmosphere mechanisms. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-3f5ab8bd9f534b4fb1ac687d8d6624c0 |
| institution | Matheson Library |
| issn | 2077-1312 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Marine Science and Engineering |
| spelling | doaj-art-3f5ab8bd9f534b4fb1ac687d8d6624c02025-06-25T14:01:47ZengMDPI AGJournal of Marine Science and Engineering2077-13122025-06-01136118710.3390/jmse13061187Application of Large-Scale Rotating Platforms in the Study of Complex Oceanic Dynamic ProcessesXiaojie Lu0Guoqing Han1Yifan Lin2Qian Cao3Zhiwei You4Jingyuan Xue5Xinyuan Zhang6Changming Dong7State Key Laboratory of Climate System Prediction and Risk Management, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, ChinaMarine Science and Technology College, Zhejiang Ocean University, Zhoushan 316022, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Climate System Prediction and Risk Management, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Climate System Prediction and Risk Management, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Climate System Prediction and Risk Management, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Climate System Prediction and Risk Management, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Climate System Prediction and Risk Management, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Climate System Prediction and Risk Management, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, ChinaAs the core components of geophysical dynamic system, oceans and atmospheres are dominated by the Coriolis force, which governs complex dynamic phenomena such as internal waves, gravity currents, vortices, and others involving multi-scale spatiotemporal coupling. Due to the limitations of in situ observations, large-scale rotating tanks have emerged as critical experimental platforms for simulating Earth’s rotational effects. This review summarizes recent advancements in rotating tank applications for studying oceanic flow phenomena, including mesoscale eddies, internal waves, Ekman flows, Rossby waves, gravity currents, and bottom boundary layer dynamics. Advanced measurement techniques, such as particle image velocimetry (PIV) and planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF), have enabled quantitative analyses of internal wave breaking-induced mixing and refined investigations of vortex merging dynamics. The findings demonstrate that large-scale rotating tanks provide a controllable experimental framework for unraveling the physical essence of geophysical fluid motions. Such laboratory experimental endeavors in a rotating tank can be applied to more extensive scientific topics, in which the rotation and stratification play important roles, offering crucial support for climate model parameterization and coupled ocean–land–atmosphere mechanisms.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/13/6/1187rotating tankexperimental geophysical fluid dynamicsinternal wavesvorticesEkman currentsRossby waves |
| spellingShingle | Xiaojie Lu Guoqing Han Yifan Lin Qian Cao Zhiwei You Jingyuan Xue Xinyuan Zhang Changming Dong Application of Large-Scale Rotating Platforms in the Study of Complex Oceanic Dynamic Processes Journal of Marine Science and Engineering rotating tank experimental geophysical fluid dynamics internal waves vortices Ekman currents Rossby waves |
| title | Application of Large-Scale Rotating Platforms in the Study of Complex Oceanic Dynamic Processes |
| title_full | Application of Large-Scale Rotating Platforms in the Study of Complex Oceanic Dynamic Processes |
| title_fullStr | Application of Large-Scale Rotating Platforms in the Study of Complex Oceanic Dynamic Processes |
| title_full_unstemmed | Application of Large-Scale Rotating Platforms in the Study of Complex Oceanic Dynamic Processes |
| title_short | Application of Large-Scale Rotating Platforms in the Study of Complex Oceanic Dynamic Processes |
| title_sort | application of large scale rotating platforms in the study of complex oceanic dynamic processes |
| topic | rotating tank experimental geophysical fluid dynamics internal waves vortices Ekman currents Rossby waves |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/13/6/1187 |
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