Publication Date:
2014-07-18
Description:
The problem of the decay of intense vortices in a shallow rotated neutrally stratified fluid is considered using simulations with a modified model of von Kármán type and laboratory experiments. The numerical model describes a forced axisymmetric vortex, vertically confined, but infinite in the horizontal plane. It may be used for comparisons with laboratory experiments, in which a quasi-turbulent eddy flow is generated, using magnetohydrodynamic forcing. A detailed analysis of simulations of the free decay of the flow from an initial state, given either by an arbitrary Poiseuille or by a forced stationary profile of vorticity, is provided. Based on this analysis, three different regimes of decay of intense anticyclones in the parameter space of the Ekman and initial Rossby numbers are found. It is shown that anticyclones with large enough Rossby and small enough Ekman numbers may decay to a non-trivial stationary state, or at least they decay much slower than cyclones of the same intensity. The laboratory experiments show much slower decay of intense anticyclones than weak anticyclones or cyclones, and also a dominance of anticyclones over cyclones during the initial stage of decay. These observations qualitatively agree with theoretical predictions. © © 2014 Cambridge University Press.
Print ISSN:
0022-1120
Electronic ISSN:
1469-7645
Topics:
Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, Production Engineering, Mining and Metallurgy, Traffic Engineering, Precision Mechanics
,
Physics
