Geophysical Vortex Streets: The Dynamics that Determines The Late-Time Behavior

Phil Marcus Professor of Fluid MechanicsDepartment of Mechanical Engineering University of California at Berkeley Berkeley, CA Rotating, stratified 3D flows often act as if they were nearly 2D and the inverse cascade of energy often leads to large, turbulent vortices and jets. In general, the flows are not unique, and there are several basins of attraction of the flow - each characterized by its own pattern of vortices and jet streams. The transport properties of each pattern vary markedly, so in a geophysical, or climate-change context, the robustness of each pattern and how patterns are selected due to small changes in the environment are important. We explore pattern selection, and present a physical model that works well in correctly predicting the outcomes of long-term numerical simulations. This study was originally motivated by the behavior of the long-lived vortical storms on Jupiter, and we show the relationship between the results of this study and Jupiter's new (as of March 2006) red spot.

Location: Stauffer Science Lecture Hall, Rm 100

Audiences: Everyone Is Invited

Contact: April Mundy