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The fractal dimension of relative lagrangian motion Cover

The fractal dimension of relative lagrangian motion

Open Access
|Jan 1990

Abstract

14 clusters of drifters are studied to obtain the fractal dimension of relative trajectories between pairs of drifters. Averaging over all experiments, the relative trajectories have a fractal dimension of 1.3 over separation scales ranging from 10 m to 4000 m. The clusters were deployed in Lake Erie, the Atlantic Equatorial Undercurrent, and in coastal waters off the south shore of Long Island. The average fractal dimension was quite similar for groups of experiments in each of these 3 areas, but it fluctuates over a greater range (1.59 to 1.12) when we consider individual experiments. This and consideration of variation of the generalized fractal dimension for higher moments, raise the possibility that trajectories are multifractal. The estimates we obtain for fractal dimension of relative lagrangian motion should be regarded as first estimates, pending analysis of more substantial data sets.

Language: English
Page range: 550 - 556
Submitted on: Nov 14, 1988
Accepted on: Feb 28, 1990
Published on: Jan 1, 1990
Published by: Stockholm University Press
In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services

© 1990 Brian G. Sanderson, Allan Goulding, Akira Okubo, published by Stockholm University Press
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.