Two-layer stratified flow past a valley

When such winds encounter an embedded depression in an otherwise smooth sloping plane, the flow responds in a manner that is largely describable by the inviscid fluid dynamics of stratified flow. Building on earlier work, the present study presents a series of numerical simulations based on the simplest nontrivial idealization relevant to the observations: the height-independent flow of a two-layer stratified fluid past a two-dimensional valley.

Stratified flow past a valley has received much less attention than the related problem of stratified flow past a hill. Hence, the present paper gives a detailed review of existing theory and fills a few gaps along the way. The theory is used as an interpretive guide to an extensive set of numerical simulations.