9.3
Merger and Alignment of QG Ellipsoidal Vortices
Neil Martinsen-Burrell, University of Colorado; and K. Julien and J. B. Weiss
Coherent vortices are an important component of the mesoscale eddy variability of the ocean. Here we investigate the interaction of three-dimensional quasigeostrophic (qg) vortices in the ellipsoidal moment approximation and compare with simulations of the qg fluid equations. We find a clear separation between the process of merger and alignment. Merger corresponds to a transition to strong chaos, while alignment is a more subtle phenomenon involving vortex Rossby waves.
Session 9, Eddy Interactions, Jets, and Turbulence
Thursday, 16 June 2005, 9:50 AM-2:05 PM, Ballroom A
Previous paper Next paper