Numerical modeling of mesospheric bores

Mesospheric bores were first observed in 1993 and since then there have been few efforts to characterize them. Early results invoked weakly nonlinear hydraulic theory to explain these observed bores and numerical results have reproduced the essential nonlinearities of bore evolution. Internal bores have been demonstrated to exist in density stratified fluids, such as the oceanic thermocline and tropospheric inversion layers, and have been approximated by the Benjamin-Davis-Ono (BDO) equation (the KdV analogue for internal waves).;This thesis considers these earlier theories and explores the limits of their validity with two numerical models. The first is a one-dimensional solver of the KdV and BDO equations. The second model describes the nonlinear incompressible dynamics of the Navier-Stokes equations for thermal ducting environments. The results of both models are directly compared to constrain the validity of the weakly nonlinear theory. These results are also compared with spatial and velocity scales of airglow observations and demonstrate the viability of simple mesopausal thermal ducting environments to support realistic bore evolution. Based on observations and on the dependence of the dispersion relationship on the mean horizontal wind, Doppler ducting structures are posed and also demonstrate nonlinear bore evolution.;The direction of future studies is then discussed, including extensions to more complex and realistic ducting environments characteristic of the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT), the viability of forcing mechanisms beyond the long wave perturbations considered in these studies, and applications to observed bore events.