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Science 12 June 1992:
Vol. 256. no. 5063, pp. 1531 - 1536
DOI: 10.1126/science.256.5063.1531
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Articles

Shock Waves in Stellar Atmospheres and Breaking Waves on an Ocean Beach

George Wallerstein 1 and Steve Elgar 2

1 The Astronomy Department, FM-20, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195
2 The School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164

The phenomenon of ocean waves breaking on a beach is analogous to shock waves in the atmosphere of a pulsating star. In both cases a velocity discontinuity is clearly present. In stars the upper, expanding layer halts and falls back so as to interact with the rising gas at a shock. Similarly, a bore on a beach reaches its maximum extension before sliding back onto the next incoming wave. Analogous quantities such as the surface gravity of the star and the beach gradient in the ocean have similar effects on the flows and the nature of the discontinuity between them. Phenomena that are not analogous include the thermodynamic properties of the two media. Ocean observations may help solve some problems in shock phenomena associated with stellar pulsation.


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Beach Cusps as Self-Organized Patterns.
B. T. Werner, B. T. Werner, and T. M. Fink (1993)
Science 260, 968-971
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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)