15th Conference on Atmospheric and Oceanic Fluid Dynamics

P2.21

Interactions between near-inertial motion and unstable barotropic jets

PAPER WITHDRAWN

Aaron Gertz, McGill, Montreal, QC, Canada; and D. Straub

It is generally accepted that low Rossby number geostrophic currents evolve independently of background near-inertial motion. Here, we consider a pair of barotropically unstable jets in a thin-aspect-ratio homogeneous fluid. 3D motion is added to the initial conditions in the form of a vertical shear with no horizontal structure. We examine feedbacks between the 3D and 2D modes as a function of the Rossby number. With an eye towards parameterization, we also look for correlations between the Reynolds stress forcing of the 2D flow and various fields derived from Weiss-like stability criteria (of 2D flow to 3D perturbations). We also point out that, in a forced-dissipative scenario, the solution may simply spin up until such time that $O(1)$ Rossby number effects allow for a forward energy cascade and suggest that such a mechanism may be relevant to the ocean.

Poster Session 2, Fluid Dynamics Posters II
Thursday, 16 June 2005, 4:35 PM-4:35 PM, Thomas Paine B

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