Numerical Investigations of Convection


Presented at 2011 TeraGrid Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah.
This poster won the best undergraduate poster award.

Abstract: We report on high resolution numerical studies of infinite Prandtl number convection using a simplified model with relevance to the motion of the Earth’s mantle. The simulations are done using pseudospectral Fourier (x-direction) and Chebyshev methods (z-direction).The model uses the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations with the Boussinesq approximation and free-slip velocity boundary conditions that is driven solely by internal heating. We examine the transition from conduction to steady convection, to unsteady laminar convection, and lastly to chaotic convection.
 Poster

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