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Physics of Fluids / Volume 15 / Issue 8 / ARTICLES

Phys. Fluids 15, 2177 (2003); http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.1582183 (13 pages)

Coherent vortices and kinetic energy ribbons in asymptotic, quasi two-dimensional f-plane turbulence

Brian K. Arbic1,2 and Glenn R. Flierl3

1MIT/WHOI Joint Program in Oceanography, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139
2Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543
3Program in Atmospheres, Oceans, and Climate, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139

(Received 5 December 2002; accepted 22 April 2003; published online 25 June 2003)

This paper examines coherent vortices and spatial distributions of energy density in asymptotic states of numerically simulated, horizontally homogeneous, doubly periodic, quasi two-dimensional f-plane turbulence. With geophysical applications in mind, the paper progresses from freely decaying two-dimensional flow to freely decaying equivalent barotropic flow, freely decaying two-layer quasi-geostrophic (QG) flow, and, finally, statistically steady two-layer QG turbulence forced by a baroclinically unstable mean flow and damped by bottom Ekman friction. It is demonstrated here that, with suitable elaborations, a two-vortex state having a sinh-like potential vorticity/streamfunction (q/ψ) scatter plot arises in all of these systems. This extends, at least qualitatively, previous work in inviscid and freely decaying two-dimensional flows to flows having stratification, forcing, and dissipation present simultaneously. Potential vorticity steps and ribbons of kinetic energy are shown to form in freely decaying equivalent barotropic flow and in the equivalent barotropic limit of baroclinically unstable flow, which occurs when Ekman damping is strong. Thus, contrary to expectations, strong friction can under some circumstances create rather than hinder the formation of sharp features. The ribbons are present, albeit less dramatically, in moderately damped baroclinically unstable turbulence, which is arguably a reasonable model for mid-ocean mesoscale eddies. © 2003 American Institute of Physics.

© 2003 American Institute of Physics

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KEYWORDS and PACS

Keywords

vortices, turbulence, flow simulation, geophysical fluid dynamics

PACS

ARTICLE DATA

Digital Object Identifier
http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.1582183

PUBLICATION DATA

ISSN

1070-6631 (print)  
1089-7666 (online)

Publisher

$abstract.society.value is a Member of CrossRef American Institute of Physics

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