Geomorphological Fluid Mechanics

N.J. Balmforth, A. Provenzale, J.A. Whitehead (auth.), N. J. Balmforth, A. Provenzale (eds.)3540429689, 9783540429685

Geomorphology deals with some of the most striking patterns of nature. From mountain ranges and mid-ocean ridges, to river networks and sand dunes, there is a whole family of forms, structures, and shapes that demand rationalization as well as mathematical description. In the various chapters of this volume, many of these patterns will be explored and discussed, and attempts will be made to both unravel the reasons for their very existence and to describe their dynamics in quantitative terms. Particular focus will be on lava and mud flows, ice and snow dynamics, river and coastal morphodynamics and landscape formation. Combining a pedagogical approach with up-to-date reviews of forefront research, this volume will serve both postgraduate students and lecturers in search of advanced textbook material, and experienced researchers wishing to get acquainted with the various physical and mathematical approaches in a range of closely related research fields.

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Table of contents :
The Language of Pattern and Form….Pages 3-33
Geophysical Aspects of Non-Newtonian Fluid Mechanics….Pages 34-51
Introduction to Rheology and Application to Geophysics….Pages 52-78
Granular Material Theories Revisited….Pages 79-107
Earth’s Surface Morphology and Convection in the Mantle….Pages 111-137
Morphological Instabilities in Flows with Cooling, Freezing or Dissolution….Pages 138-163
Shallow Lava Theory….Pages 164-187
Explosive Volcanic Eruptions….Pages 188-208
The Dynamics of Snow and Ice Masses….Pages 211-217
Response of Italian Glaciers to Climatic Variations….Pages 218-226
Asymptotic Theories of Ice Sheets and Ice Shelves….Pages 227-278
Aspects of Iceberg Deterioration and Drift….Pages 279-318
Snow Avalanches….Pages 319-338
Dense Granular Avalanches: Mathematical Description and Experimental Validation….Pages 339-366
Patterns of Dirt….Pages 369-393
16 Invitation to Sediment Transport….Pages 394-402
Types of Aeolian Sand Dunes and Their Formation….Pages 403-429
Dunes and Drumlins….Pages 430-454
Estuarine Patterns: An Introduction to Their Morphology and Mechanics….Pages 455-499
Longshore Bars and Bragg Resonance….Pages 500-527
21 Debris Flows and Related Phenomena….Pages 528-547
Mud Flow— Slow and Fast….Pages 548-577