The universal aspect ratio of vortices in rotating stratified flows: theory and simulation

DOI10.1017/JFM.2012.180MaRDI QIDQ2863221zbMATH OpenOpenAlexWikidataFDO

Authors Pedram Hassanzadeh, Patrice Le Gal, Philip S. Marcus

Publication date 21 November 2013

Published in Journal of Fluid Mechanics (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/1203.1561

zbMATH Keywords

vortex flowsrotating flowsstratified flows

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

General theory of rotating fluids (76U05)

Abstract: We derive a relationship for the vortex aspect ratio $alpha$ (vertical half-thickness over horizontal length scale) for steady and slowly evolving vortices in rotating stratified fluids, as a function of the Brunt-Vaisala frequencies within the vortex $N_c$ and in the background fluid outside the vortex $$, the Coriolis parameter $f$, and the Rossby number $Ro$ of the vortex: $$. This relation is valid for cyclones and anticyclones in either the cyclostrophic or geostrophic regimes; it works with vortices in Boussinesq fluids or ideal gases, and the background density gradient need not be uniform. Our relation for $alpha$ has many consequences for equilibrium vortices in rotating stratified flows. For example, cyclones must have $$; weak anticyclones (with $|Ro|<1$) must have $$N_c^2 > �ar{N}^2$.Weverifyourrelationfor$alpha$withnumericalsimulationsofthethree-dimensionalBoussinesqequationsforawidevarietyofvortices,including:vorticesthatareinitiallyin(dissipationless)equilibriumandthenevolveduetoanimposedweakviscousdissipationordensityradiation;anticyclonescreatedbythegeostrophicadjustmentofapatchoflocallymixeddensity;cyclonescreatedbyfluidsuctionfromasmalllocalisedregion;vorticescreatedfromtheremnantsoftheviolentbreakupsofcolumnarvortices;andweaklynon-axisymmetricvortices.Thevaluesoftheaspectratiosofournumerically-computedvorticesvalidateourrelationshipfor$alpha$,andgenerallytheydiffersignificantlyfromthevaluesobtainedfromthemuch-citedconjecturethat$alpha = f/�ar{N}$ in quasi-geostrophic vortices.

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Cites work

• A 3D spectral anelastic hydrodynamic code for shearing, stratified flows
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• Instability of an axisymmetric vortex in a stably stratified, rotating environment
• On the steady motions produced by a stable stratification in a rapidly rotating fluid
• The instability of barotropic circular vortices
• The shape of vortices in quasi-geostrophic turbulence
• The three-dimensional vortical nature of atmospheric and oceanic turbulent flows
• The universal aspect ratio of vortices in rotating stratified flows: experiments and observations
• The vortices of homogeneous geostrophic turbulence

Cited in

(11)

• Coalescence of lenticular anticyclones in a linearly stratified rotating fluid
• Stable \textit{a posteriori} LES of 2D turbulence using convolutional neural networks: backscattering analysis and generalization to higher \(Re\) via transfer learning
• A note on the asymmetry of rotating, stratified flow past a shallow ridge
• Balanced ellipsoidal vortex equilibria in a background shear flow at finite Rossby number
• A laboratory study of floating lenticular anticyclones
• Characteristic length scales of strongly rotating Boussinesq flow in variable-aspect-ratio domains
• Effect of aspect ratio on the meridional circulation of a rotating homogeneous fluid
• Vortex evolution due to straining: a mechanism for dominance of strong, interior anticyclones
• The universal aspect ratio of vortices in rotating stratified flows: experiments and observations
• Stability of an isolated pancake vortex in continuously stratified-rotating fluids
• Stability of three-dimensional Gaussian vortices in an unbounded, rotating, vertically stratified, Boussinesq flow: linear analysis

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