Gyre Turbulence
Fluid Dynamics
2024-05-03 v2
Abstract
The exploration of a two-dimensional wind-driven ocean model with no-slip boundaries reveals the existence of a turbulent asymptotic regime where energy dissipation becomes independent of fluid viscosity. This asymptotic flow represents an out-of-equilibrium state, characterized by a vigorous two-dimensional vortex gas superimposed onto a western-intensified gyre. The properties of the vortex gas are elucidated through scaling analysis for detached Prandtl boundary layers, providing a rationalization for the observed anomalous dissipation. The asymptotic regime demonstrates that boundary instabilities alone can be strong enough to evacuate wind-injected energy from the large-scale oceanic circulation.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.2310.02187,
title = {Gyre Turbulence},
author = {Lennard Miller and Antoine Venaille and Bruno Deremble},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2310.02187},
year = {2024}
}