Isn't it fun to play with Non-Newtonian Fluids? ... read more >>

2D unstructured mesh generation for oceanic and coastal tidal models from a localized truncation error analysis with complex derivatives

A method for computing target element size for tidal, shallow water flow is developed and demonstrated. The method, Localized truncation error analysis with complex derivatives (LTEA-CD) utilizes localized truncation error estimates of the linearized shallow ... read more >>

A pipeline may appear calm and quiet on the outside, but inside it’s a roiling mess. At anything other than low rates of flow, a fluid being transported, like oil, water or natural gas, becomes turbulent. The problem with turbulent flow is that it creates friction and drag that must be overcome by pumping harder, at higher cost. And while there are ideas about ways to reduce turbulence, they requ ... read more >>

Here’s a brief update on the great heat-toting oceanic currents that at one time were thought to be at risk from human-driven warming of the climate. There’s been no slowdown at all through much of the past decade and probably none since the early 1990s, according to new work using methods developed by Joshua Willis at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The prospect of a circulation slowdown d ... read more >>

Scientists have known for generations that hot water can sometimes freeze faster than cold, an effect known as the Mpemba effect, but until now have not understood why. Several theories have been proposed, but one scientist believes he has the answer.

Theories for the Mpemba effect have included:

* faster evaporation of hot water, which reduces the volume left to freeze

* formati ... read more >>

ADCIRC is a system of computer programs for solving time dependent, free surface circulation and transport problems in two and three dimensions. These programs utilize the finite element method in space allowing the use of highly flexible, unstructured grids. Typical ADCIRC applications have included: (i) modeling tides and wind driven circulation, (ii) analysis of hurricane storm surge and flood ... read more >>

It is looking more and more like the toilet of yore is on its last legs -- and that's a good thing.

There has been a steady rise of low-flow and other alternatives to the standard loo in the last few years, including stylish new dual-flush toilets, a line of toilets that flush with air instead of water, and a number of incentives and awards from governments for water efficient johns.

And a ... read more >>

I have invented a new way to construct a two wire irrigation system.
It co-extrudes a wire pair on top of a plastic pipe. (Single tracer wires are currently co-extruded.)
When the pipe enters a Tee, Elbow or Cross adapter, the two wire circuit is continued through the adapter
to the pipes at the other ports of the adapter.
Therefore, there is no need to run a separate wir ... read more >>

While leaders in Washington have been war-gaming the national security risks of climate change, they’ve only started to connect the dots to the closely related threats emanating from the growing crisis of global freshwater scarcity. At first blush, water and national security may not seem to be interlinked. But the reality, as narrated in my new book 'WATER: The Epic Struggle for Wealth, Power, a ... read more >>

A team of researchers at the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource has found the molecular structure of water to be more complex than recently thought, suggesting that molecular models that went out of fashion decades ago may be in fact more accurate than recent ones.

"The study of water has a very long history," said lead author Ling Fu, who is a postdoc at the Centre National de la Rech ... read more >>