The dynamics of passive Lagrangian tracers in three-dimensional quasigeostrophic turbulence is studied numerically and compared with the behavior of two-dimensional barotropic turbulence. Despite the different Eulerian properties of the two flows, the Lagrangian dynamics of passively advected tracers in three-dimensional quasigeostrophic turbulence is very similar to that of barotropic turbulence. In both systems, coherent vortices play a major role in determining the mixing and dispersion properties. This work indicates that recent results on particle dynamics in barotropic, two-dimensional turbulence carry over to more realistic baroclinic flows, such as those encountered in the large-scale dynamics of the atmosphere and ocean.
Dispersion and mixing in quasigeostrophic turbulence / Bracco, A; von Hardenberg, J; Provenzale, A; Weiss, Jb; Mcwilliams, Jc. - In: PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS. - ISSN 0031-9007. - 92:8(2004). [10.1103/PhysRevLett.92.084501]
Dispersion and mixing in quasigeostrophic turbulence
von Hardenberg, J;
2004
Abstract
The dynamics of passive Lagrangian tracers in three-dimensional quasigeostrophic turbulence is studied numerically and compared with the behavior of two-dimensional barotropic turbulence. Despite the different Eulerian properties of the two flows, the Lagrangian dynamics of passively advected tracers in three-dimensional quasigeostrophic turbulence is very similar to that of barotropic turbulence. In both systems, coherent vortices play a major role in determining the mixing and dispersion properties. This work indicates that recent results on particle dynamics in barotropic, two-dimensional turbulence carry over to more realistic baroclinic flows, such as those encountered in the large-scale dynamics of the atmosphere and ocean.File | Dimensione | Formato | |
---|---|---|---|
2004DispersionPhysRevLett.92.084501.pdf
accesso aperto
Tipologia:
2a Post-print versione editoriale / Version of Record
Licenza:
PUBBLICO - Tutti i diritti riservati
Dimensione
224.34 kB
Formato
Adobe PDF
|
224.34 kB | Adobe PDF | Visualizza/Apri |
Pubblicazioni consigliate
I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
https://hdl.handle.net/11583/2815020