Flow response to periodic thermal forcing in a reservoir with water depth beyond the penetration depth of solar radiation

Abstract

The present investigation is concerned with the transient response of the flow in a reservoir to diurnal heating and cooling due to heat transfer through the water surface. In this study, the maximum water depth in the reservoir is assumed to be five times the penetration depth of solar radiation. The numerical results reveal that, in the present case, the flow response to radiative heating is very weak compared with the response to surface cooling. There is also a clear time lag in the flow response to the switches of the thermal forcing. The lag time depends on the Grashof number.