A Theoretical Study of Turbulent Energy Spectra in Stably Stratified Shear Flow

Turbulent energy spectra in stably stratified shear flow were studied theoretically based on the turbulent spectral equation and the experimental results. A theoretical expression of the turbulent energy spectra was derived for the inertial subrange. According to this expression, the energy spectra of the stably stratified shear flow approached those of isothermal shear flow as the wave number increased, and the difference in energy spectra between stratified and isothermal flows was directly proportional to the -3rd power of the wave number. The one-dimensional energy spectrum obtained experimentally conformed to the expression.