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Coherent baroclinic eddies on a sloping bottom

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 April 2006

M. Mory ,
M. E. Stern  and
R. W. Griffiths
M. Mory
Affiliation:
Institut de Mécanique de Grenoble, BP68, 38402 St Martin d'Hères cédex, France
M. E. Stern
Affiliation:
University of Rhode Island, Graduate School of Oceanography, Narragansett, RI 02882, USA
R. W. Griffiths
Affiliation:
Research School of Earth Sciences, Australian National University, G.P.O. Box 4, Canberra, 2601, Australia
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Abstract

A coherent and stable baroclinic eddy in a rotating fluid was produced on a sloping bottom by releasing a dome of salt water into the ambient fresh water. A strong cyclonic vortex is produced above the heavy dome. The entire eddy system moves ‘north-westward’ (with the up-slope direction designated ‘north’) as a ‘Taylor column’. The eddy system displays long lifetimes, but it is shown that a theory of isolated systems cannot account for the experimental observations. Instead, it is demonstrated that the vortex flow above the lens is along the lines of constant depth, producing a net pressure force on the lens, which approximately balances the buoyancy force. When Ekman friction is also included, it accounts for the northward motion of the dome.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Fluid Mechanics , Volume 183 , October 1987 , pp. 45 - 62
Copyright
© 1987 Cambridge University Press

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