Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is increasingly used to analyze the hydrodynamic features of the built and natural environment; from warming ocean currents to highDspeed ocean liners. However, the computational cost of such simulations is still too high for engineering purposes without making simplifying assumption which greatly limit$the accuracy.

Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.

Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.

Atmospheric storm tracks are the regions on earth where midlatitude weather systems predominantly grow, evolve and decay. They are strongly associated with the well-known midlatitude jet streams and are responsible for the majority of extreme weather events away from the tropics. Their longer-term prediction and their behaviour in a future climate is one of the great challenges of atmospheric science. A key uncertainty is the role of latent heating (condensation and evaporation of water) in the setting of the intensity of the storm track, its geographical structure, and its evolution. The dynamics of the storm track involves a complex, non-linear interplay between the jet stream, individual storms, different air masses, cloud fields, and the ocean surface. In this project we will work on capturing and understanding those interplays in terms of a dynamical system, a low-order, non-linear description of the most important physical interactions. As an example, earlier work on this topic has demonstrated that the interplay between the jet stream and storm intensity can be described as a non-linear oscillator, similar to a predator -- prey system known from mathematical biology! In this project we will particularly focus on how latent heating in the storm track can be incorporated in such a dynamical systems approach to the storm track. The project involves novel data analysis tools, applied mathematics, and computer simulations of the storm track, and provides a broad avenue of possible research foci and developments. The aim is to improve our understanding of the dynamics of the storm track and be able to make more confident predictions of their future behaviour.

Collisionless Shocks (CS) are a fundamental plasma phenomena that abound in the Universe. They are formed around ordinary stars, in binary systems, supernova remnants, in the interaction between stellar winds and their orbiting planets, gamma ray bursts, and many other objects in the Universe. Understanding the physics of CSs is crucially important for many astrophysical problems. The radiation generated by particles energised at CSs often provides the only valuable observable information about the processes occurring in the vicinity of remote astrophysical objects. The main process that takes place at a shock front is the redistribution of the kinetic energy of the upstream bulk plasma flow, resulting in the heating of the plasma and the acceleration of a fraction of particles to high energies. Although ions (protons, Helium, heavier ions) carry the lion's share of energy, an understanding the role of electrons in the heating process occurring at the shock front is important, not only for the fundamental physics of CS, but also for the analysis of the different types of radiation emitted by various distant astrophysical objects. For example the ability to estimate the downstream ratio of the electron to ion temperatures is essential for interpretation of emissions observed from supernova remnants. Such emissions are mainly generated by electrons energised at CSs formed in the vicinity of supernova remnants. In spite of their plentifulness, currently only the natural CS observed within the heliosphere can be subjected to in-situ observations with the most detailed observation being made at the terrestrial bow shock. The proposed project aims to exploit data obtained by the multisatellite MMS and Cluster missions to provide to investigate and further our understanding of the process of electron heating at the CS front. In a collisionless plasma, any evolution of the particle distributions, including such process as thermalisation and acceleration, is related to the dynamics of particles under action of electric and magnetic fields. These wave-particle interactions could regulate the global structure and dominate energy dissipation and electro-heating at the terrestrial bow shock. Such fields can be either associated with the shock structure or with various plasma waves types generated within the shock front. Electrons can be easily affected by short the scale fields associated with the fine structure of the CS front and various short-wavelength emissions occurring within the front. The overall aims of this Project are 1) To investigate the spatio-temporal structure of high frequency waves and short scale electrostatic structures 2) To compare the relative contributions of macrofields and short scale processes to the structure of the shock front 3) To investigate the role of high frequency waves in the evolution of the electron distribution function 4) To investigate the effects of macrofields and structures in the process of electron heating 5) Development of a physical model for electron heating The insight gained regarding the relationship between short scale field fluctuations, high frequency waves, and the process of electron heating occurring within the shock front will be directly applicable to the studies of planetary, interplanetary, and astrophysical shocks