Integral theorems for the gradient of a vector field, with a fluid dynamical application

Abstract

The familiar divergence and Kelvin-Stokes theorem are generalized by a tensor-valued identity that relates the volume integral of the gradient of a vector field to the integral over the bounding surface of the outer product of the vector field with the exterior normal. The importance of this long-established yet little-known result is discussed. In flat two-dimensional space, it reduces to a relationship between an integral over an area and that over its bounding curve, combining the 2D divergence and Kelvin-Stokes theorems together with two related theorems involving the strain, as is shown through a decomposition using a suitable tensor basis. A fluid dynamical application to oceanic observations along the trajectory of a moving platform is given. The potential generalization of the generalized identity to curved two-dimensional surfaces is considered and is shown not to hold. Finally, the paper includes a substantial background section on tensor analysis, and presents results in both symbolic notation and index notation in order to emphasize the correspondence between these two notational systems.