Inertial instability in rotating and stratified flow

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Inertial instability in rotating and stratified flow's image

Description:	Carnevale, GF (UC, San Diego) Monday 08 December 2008, 11:30-12:00

Created:

2009-01-13 16:12

Collection:

The Nature of High Reynolds Number Turbulence

Publisher:

Isaac Newton Institute

Carnevale, GF

Language:

eng (English)

Credits:

Author:

Carnevale, GF


Abstract:	The unfolding of inertial instability in vortices in a uniformly rotating and stratified fluid is studied through numerical simulations. The vortex dynamics during the instability is examined in detail. We demonstrate that the instability is stabilized via redistribution of angular momentum in a way that produces a new equilibrated vortex with a stable velocity profile. Based on extrapolations from the results of a series of simulations in which the Reynolds number and strength of stratification are varied, we arrive at a construction based on angular momentum mixing that predicts the infinite-Reynolds-number form of the equilibrated vortex toward which inertial instability acting alone would drive an unstable vortex. The essential constraint is conservation of total absolute angular momentum. The construction can be used to predict the total energy loss during the equilibration process. A seminar from the Rotating Stratified Turbulence and Turbulence in the Atmosphere and Oceans conference in association with the Newton Institute programme: The Nature of High Reynolds Number Turbulence www.newton.ac.uk/programmes/HRT/seminars/

Abstract:

The unfolding of inertial instability in vortices in a uniformly rotating and stratified fluid is studied through numerical simulations. The vortex dynamics during the instability is examined in detail. We demonstrate that the instability is stabilized via redistribution of angular momentum in a way that produces a new equilibrated vortex with a stable velocity profile. Based on extrapolations from the results of a series of simulations in which the Reynolds number and strength of stratification are varied, we arrive at a construction based on angular momentum mixing that predicts the infinite-Reynolds-number form of the equilibrated vortex toward which inertial instability acting alone would drive an unstable vortex. The essential constraint is conservation of total absolute angular momentum. The construction can be used to predict the total energy loss during the equilibration process.

A seminar from the Rotating Stratified Turbulence and Turbulence in the Atmosphere and Oceans conference in association with the Newton Institute programme: The Nature of High Reynolds Number Turbulence
www.newton.ac.uk/programmes/HRT/seminars/

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