ABSTRACT
Axisymmetric currents deserve a separate discussion. The axis of symmetry is the vertical z, and we assume that the propagation is above (or beneath) a horizontal plane. We use a cylindrical coordinate system {r, θ, z} in which the velocity components are {u, v, w}. The dependent variables are assumed to be independent of θ, i.e., ∂/∂θ = 0. This type of flow appears when (a) The current is released from a cylinder in a laterally unbounded ambient (the fully axisymmetric case). In this case v is not necessarily zero; and (b) The current is released in a wedge bounded by the vertical planes θ = 0,Θ, and v = 0.
