Related papers: Zonal flows as statistical equilibria
Two-dimensional turbulent flows, and to some extent, geophysical flows, are systems with a large number of degrees of freedom, which, albeit fluctuating, exhibit some degree of organization: coherent structures emerge spontaneously at large…
In this section, we examine the transition from statistically homogeneous turbulence to inhomogeneous turbulence with zonal flows. Statistical equations of motion can be derived from the quasilinear approximation to the Hasegawa-Mima…
Zonal flows are often found in rotating convective systems. Not only are these jet-flows driven by the convection, they can also have a profound effect on the nature of the convection. In this work the cylindrical annulus geometry is…
We consider a 2-layer quasi-geostrophic ocean model where the upper layer is forced by a steady Kolmogorov wind stress in a periodic channel domain, which allows to mathematically study the nonlinear development of the resulting flow. The…
A new strategy is presented to explain the creation and persistence of zonal flows widely observed in plasma edge turbulence. The core physics in the edge regime of the magnetic-fusion tokamaks can be described qualitatively by the…
The theoretical study of the self-organization of two-dimensional and geophysical turbulent flows is addressed based on statistical mechanics methods. This review is a self-contained presentation of classical and recent works on this…
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…
The problem of coherent vortex and zonal jet formation in a system of nonlinear Rossby waves is considered from the point of view of the late time steady state achieved by free decay of a given initial state. Statistical equilibrium…
This thesis presents a newly developed theory for the formation and maintenance of eddy-driven jets in planetary turbulence. The novelty is that jet formation and maintenance is studied as a dynamics of the statistics of the flow rather…
The atmospheric circulation of tidally locked planets is dominated by a superrotating eastward equatorial jet. We develop a predictive theory for the formation of this jet, proposing a mechanism in which the three-dimensional stationary…
Jets coexist with planetary scale waves in the turbulence of planetary atmospheres. The coherent component of these structures arises from cooperative interaction between the coherent structures and the incoherent small-scale turbulence in…
Coherent jets with most of the kinetic energy of the flow are common in atmospheric turbulence. In the gaseous planets these jets are maintained by incoherent turbulence excited by small-scale convection. Large-scale coherent waves are…
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…
Low-order equal-time statistics of a barotropic flow on a rotating sphere are investigated. The flow is driven by linear relaxation toward an unstable zonal jet. For relatively short relaxation times, the flow is dominated by critical-layer…
We investigate the non-linear equilibration of a two-layer quasi-geostrophic flow in a channel forced by an imposed unstable zonal mean flow, paying particular attention to the role of bottom friction. In the limit of low bottom friction,…
The equatorial jets dominating the dynamics of the Jovian planets exhibit two distinct types of zonal flows: strongly eastward in the gas giants (superrotation) and strongly westward in the ice giants (subrotation). Existing theories…
All planets and stars rotate. All gas planets in our solar system, the Sun, and many stars show a pattern of east- or westward mean flows. This phenomenon is known as differential rotation in the stellar and as zonal jets in the planetary…
Turbulence driven zonal flows play an important role in fusion devices since they improve plasma confinement by limiting the level of anomalous transport. Current theories mostly focus on flow excitation but do not self-consistently…
Observations of brown dwarfs and relatively isolated young extrasolar giant planets have provided unprecedented details to probe atmospheric dynamics in a new regime. Questions about mechanisms governing global circulation remain to be…
Analyses of both altimetric data and in-situ measurements reveal patterns of meridionally-alternating, nearly zonal, coherent jet-like structures in many of the world ocean basins. In this context, recent Ocean General Circulation Model…