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Experiments on spin-up and spin-down on a β-plane

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 April 2006

W. J. Jillians  and
T. Maxworthy
W. J. Jillians
Affiliation:
Department of Aerospace Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-1191, USA
T. Maxworthy
Affiliation:
Department of Aerospace Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-1191, USA
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Abstract

Here we study the spin-up and spin-down of a homogeneous fluid with a free surface on an experimental ‘β-plane’ and describe the important features for both cases over a range of parameters. Quantitative values are found for the velocity fields using a new image processing technique that analyses a video record of particle motion and stores the results digitally. Streamlines, pressure fields and vorticity values are found by interpolation techniques and result in a complete description of the flow characteristics. We discuss the relationship between the results of these experiments and those observed in large-scale homogeneous models of ocean circulation, e.g. Moore (1963). This study extends the work of van Heijst et al. (1990) to the case of spin-up in a rectangular container but of non-uniform depth and we note the differences to and similarities with their observations. It is related, also, to more recent results of Maas et al. (1992), who considered spin-up on a β-plane but in a tank of very different proportions to the one considered here.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Fluid Mechanics , Volume 271 , 25 July 1994 , pp. 153 - 172
Copyright
© 1994 Cambridge University Press

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