Related papers: Ribbon Turbulence
Quasigeostrophic flows are induced by spatial variations in interior potential vorticity and boundary buoyancy. We begin by developing the geostrophic turbulence theory of boundary buoyancy anomalies in a fluid with vanishing potential…
In this study we give a characterization of semi-geostrophic turbulence by performing freely decaying simulations for the case of constant uniform potential vorticity, a set of equations known as surface semi-geostrophic approximation. The…
A remarkable feature of two-dimensional turbulence is the transfer of energy from small to large scales. This process can result in the self-organization of the flow into large, coherent structures due to energy condensation at the largest…
Quasigeostrophic turbulence on a beta-plane with a finite deformation radius is studied nu- merically, with particular emphasis on frequency and combined wavenumber-frequency do- main analyses. Under suitable conditions, simulations with…
A two-layer quasi-geostrophic flow is quite insulated from the surrounding fluid, while the layers interact each other by means of the modulation of the interface between them and of the turbulence affecting the layers in the proximity of…
Results from a new series of experiments on barotropic and baroclinic turbulent flows generated in a rotating tank with topographic beta-effect are presented. The velocity fields are measured by the Altimetric Imaging Velocimetry. The…
A maintenance mechanism of an approximately linear velocity profile of the Venus zonal flow or superrotation is explored, with the aid of a Reynolds-averaged turbulence modeling approach. The basic framework is similar to that of Gierasch…
The main objective of this article is to derive a mathematical theory associated with the nonlinear stability and dynamic transitions of the basic shear flows associated with baroclinic instability, which plays a fundamental role in the…
Statistical mechanics provides an elegant explanation to the appearance of coherent structures in two-dimensional inviscid turbulence: while the fine-grained vorticity field, described by the Euler equation, becomes more and more filamented…
The self-organization of turbulence into regular zonal flows can be fruitfully investigated with quasilinear methods and statistical descriptions. A wave kinetic equation that assumes asymptotically large-scale zonal flows is pathological.…
Nonlinear triadic interactions are at the heart of our understanding of turbulence. In flows where waves are present modes must not only be in a triad to interact, but their frequencies must also satisfy an extra condition: the interactions…
In geophysical and plasma contexts, zonal flows are well known to arise out of turbulence. We elucidate the transition from statistically homogeneous turbulence without zonal flows to statistically inhomogeneous turbulence with steady zonal…
It is extremely uncommon to be able to predict the velocity profile of a turbulent flow. In two-dimensional flows, atmosphere dynamics, and plasma physics, large scale coherent jets are created through inverse energy transfers from small…
Numerical and observational evidence indicates that, in regions where mixed-layer instability is active, the surface geostrophic velocity is largely induced by surface buoyancy anomalies. Yet, in these regions, the observed surface kinetic…
Zonal jets are striking and beautiful examples of the propensity for geophysical turbulent flows to spontaneously self-organize into robust, large scale coherent structures. There exist many dynamical mechanisms for the formation of zonal…
Conflict between formation of a cyclonic vortex and isotropization in forced homogeneous rotating turbulence is numerically investigated. It is well known that a large rotation rate of the system induces columnar vortices to result in…
Some turbulent flows self-organize into large-scale structures, rather than breaking up into ever-smaller scales. Underpinning this phenomenon is the existence of two sign-definite quantities which are conserved by the dynamics.…
Zonal jets in a barotropic setup emerge out of homogeneous turbulence through a flow-forming instability of the homogeneous turbulent state (`zonostrophic instability') which occurs as the turbulence intensity increases. This has been…
This study reports the development and characterization of a multiple-supersonic-jet wind tunnel designed to investigate the decay of nearly homogeneous and isotropic turbulence in a compressible regime. The interaction of 36 supersonic…
Oceanic geostrophic turbulence is mostly forced at the surface, yet strong bottom-trapped flows are commonly observed along topographic anomalies. Here we consider the case of a freely evolving, initially surface-intensified velocity field…