Research and expertise
I am interested in fluid dynamics, using methods from applied mathematics to understand stratified turbulent flows. My principal interest is in gravity currents, flow driven horizontally by a density difference between the current and surrounding ambient fluid. Examples include cold fronts and katabatic winds in the atmosphere, ventilation flows in buildings, submarine currents driven by temperature, salinity or particle load, and hazardous currents such as avalanches, pyroclastic density currents, and industrial gas leaks.
My research aims to develop mathematical models of these currents, providing insight into their inner workings and enabling rapid computations predicting their dynamics. I am also interested more broadly in the mathematical aspects of fluid dynamics, and developing methods of analysing these flows.
Current research activity
- I have developed a mathematical model of the body of gravity currents, advancing previous models by incorporating the evolution of the turbulent kinetic energy while permitting the vertical structure to be accurately captured. Using this model, I am investigating how the additional physics affect predictions of flows over great distances. I am also seeking to use the model to provide a deeper understanding of the mixing between the current and ambient
- The front of a gravity current provides a unique challenge, and I am developing a mathematical framework that can be used to capture the local behaviour. This expands on previous analysis by incorporating the mixing processes that dilute the current, the mixing in this region being a key way in which the density of the current is controlled
Recently completed research projects
- I have investigated the interaction between gravity currents and obstacles, such as a topographic rise or a cliff edge. This was done using both mathematical analysis and simulations using a bespoke numerical code to make predictions and classify dynamics, resulting in 5 publications
Recent publications
- Edward W. G. Skevington; Andrew J. Hogg (2024) Gravity current escape from a topographic depression, Physical Review Fluids DOI: 1103/PhysRevFluids.9.014802
- Sojiro Fukuda; Marijke G. W. de Vet; Edward W. G. Skevington; Elena Bastianon; Roberto Fernández; Xuxu Wu; William D. McCaffrey; Hajime Naruse; Daniel R. Parsons; Robert M. Dorrell (2023) Nature Communications 1038/s41467-023-37724-1
- Edward W.G. Skevington; Andrew J. Hogg (2023) The unsteady overtopping of barriers by gravity currents and dam-break flows Journal of Fluid Mechanics 1017/jfm.2023.187
Profile
I was introduced to the mathematical theory of fluid dynamics during my undergraduate masters at the University of Birmingham where I studied Theoretical Physics and Applied Mathematics.
Following this I undertook a PhD at the University of Bristol with Andrew Hogg, initial research being on volcanic ash clouds and particle suspension in rivers, later moving on to analysis and simulation of gravity currents.
Next, I spent 2 years as a PostDoc with Robert Dorell at the University of Hull, my work funded by the Turbidites Research Group in Leeds. Here, my work focussed on developing models of the body of gravity currents to incorporate more realistic effects, particularly the vertical structure.
I am now a National Fellow in Fluid Dynamics, which I began in Hull and have now moved to Loughborough. In this work I am developing a model of the front of the current which incorporates critical mixing processes.
Key collaborators
My research and enterprise activities are conducted with a range of academic and stakeholder partners, including:
- University of Leeds
- University of Bristol
- Technion – Israel Institute of Technology
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
- University of Hull
- University of Manchester