Each winter the Kolyma River in Siberia freezes to a depth of several meters. But by June the river thaws and discharges its annual 136 cubic kilometers of water into Keep reading
Tag: flow visualization
Blowing Vortex Rings from Bubbles
When bubbles burst, we often pay attention to the retracting film and forming droplets, but what happens to the air that was inside? By placing a little smoke inside them, Keep reading
CU Flow Vis 2019
I love when science and art come together, which is why I’ve long been a fan of the Flow Vis course at CU Boulder. Some of my earliest posts on FYFD date from previous editions of Keep reading
Swirling Vortex
So much of fluid dynamics comes down to finding the right way to observe a flow. This image of a swirling tropical system was captured by an astronaut aboard the Keep reading
“Mocean”
Ocean waves are endlessly fascinating to watch. In “Mocean,” cinematographer Chris Bryan captures them in ways few ever see, thanks to his high-speed camera. Honestly, this film is so gorgeous that Keep reading
Trails from a Delta Wing
Rhodamine (red) and fluorescein (green) dyes highlight the complex flows around a delta wing. To visualize the flow, researchers painted the apex of the delta wing with rhodamine, which gets drawn into Keep reading
Fiery Streaklines
Embers fly through the Kincade wildfire leaving streaks of light that reveal the strong winds helping drive the fire. This unintentional flow visualization mirrors techniques used by researchers to understand how flows Keep reading
Bay of Fundy Tides
Canada’s Bay of Fundy has some of the wildest tidal flows in the world. Every six hours, the flow direction through the strait shifts and tidal currents rise to several meters per Keep reading
Seeing Sound
It’s not always easy to imagine how waves travel, but with this demonstration, you can see sound waves and how they reflect and defract. The set-up uses schlieren optics that show light Keep reading
Arctic Swirls
These colorful swirls show sediment and organic matter carried into the Arctic Ocean. Like dyes or tracer particles in a lab experiment, this run-off reveals the complicated patterns of mixing Keep reading