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Instead of flowing down the gradient, large scale motions in the atmosphere and ocean tend to occur perpendicular to the pressure gradient. This is known as geostrophic flow. [39] On a non-rotating planet, fluid would flow along the straightest possible line, quickly eliminating pressure gradients.
Diagram of tea running down the spout of a teapot. The teapot effect, also known as dribbling, is a fluid dynamics phenomenon that occurs when a liquid being poured from a container runs down the spout or the body of the vessel instead of flowing out in an arc.
For example, water always flows downhill, regardless of whether briefly flowing uphill will help it gain a lower final altitude (with certain exceptions such as superfluids and siphons). In physics, this phenomenon allows the formation of potential wells, where potential energy is stored because of a barrier restricting flow to a lower energy ...
Turbulent flow is defined as the flow in which the system's inertial forces are dominant over the viscous forces. This phenomenon is described by Reynolds number, a unit-less number used to determine when turbulent flow will occur. Conceptually, the Reynolds number is the ratio between inertial forces and viscous forces. [6]
Laminar and turbulent water flow over the hull of a submarine. As the relative velocity of the water increases turbulence occurs. Turbulence in the tip vortex from an airplane wing passing through coloured smoke . Smoke rising from a cigarette. For the first few centimeters, the smoke is laminar.
The water in this stream forms varying currents as it makes its way downhill. In hydrology, a current in a water body is the flow of water in any one particular direction. The current varies spatially as well as temporally, dependent upon the flow volume of water, stream gradient, and channel geometry.
If instead water puddles in low-lying areas, the same water volume concentrated over a smaller area may exceed field capacity resulting in water that percolates down to recharge groundwater. The larger the relative contributing runoff area is, the more focused infiltration is.
Subsurface water may return to the surface in groundwater flow, such as from a spring, seep, or a water well, or subsurface return to streams, rivers, and oceans.Water returns to the land surface at a lower elevation than where infiltration occurred, under the force of gravity or gravity induced pressures.