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Scale-dependent merging of baroclinic vortices

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 April 2006

J. Verron  and
S. Valcke
J. Verron
Affiliation:
URA 1509 CNRS, Institut de Mécanique de Grenoble, BP 53X, 38041 Grenoble Cédex, France
S. Valcke
Affiliation:
URA 1509 CNRS, Institut de Mécanique de Grenoble, BP 53X, 38041 Grenoble Cédex, France
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Abstract

The influence of stratification on the merging of like-sign vortices of equal intensity and shape is investigated by numerical simulations in a quasi-geostrophic, two-layer stratified model. Two different types of vortices are considered: vortices defined as circular patches of uniform potential vorticity in the upper layer but no PV anomaly in the lower layer (referred to as PVI vortices), and vortices defined as circular patches of uniform relative vorticity in the upper layer but no motion in the lower layer (referred to as RVI vortices). In particular, it is found that, in the RVI case, the merging behaviour depends strongly on the magnitude of the stratification (i.e. the ratio of internal Rossby radius and vortex radius). The critical point here appears to be whether or not the initial eddies have a deep flow signature in terms of PV.

The specific phenomenon of scale-dependent merging observed is interpreted in terms of the competitive effects of hetonic interaction and vortex shape. In the case of weaker stratification, the baroclinic structure of the eddies can be seen as dominated by a mechanism of hetonic interaction in which bottom flow appears to counteract the tendency of surface eddies to merge. In the case of larger stratification, the eddy interaction mechanism is shown to be barotropically dominated, although interface deformation still determines the actual eddy vorticity profile during the initialization stage. Repulsion (hetonic) effect therefore oppose attraction (barotropic shape) effects in a competitive process dependent on the relationship between the original eddy lengthscale and the first internal Rossby radius.

A concluding discussion considers the implications of such analysis for real situations, in the ocean or in the laboratory.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Fluid Mechanics , Volume 264 , 10 April 1994 , pp. 81 - 106
Copyright
© 1994 Cambridge University Press

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