Available potential energy diagnosis in a direct numerical simulation of rotating stratified turbulence

Type Article
Date 2009-04
Language English
Author(s) Roullet Guillaume1, Klein Patrice1
Affiliation(s) 1 : UBO, IFREMER, CNRS, UMR6523, IRD, Lab Phys Oceans, Brest, France.
Source Journal of fluid mechanics (0022-1120) (Cambridge univ. Press), 2009-04 , Vol. 624 , P. 45-55
DOI 10.1017/S0022112008004473
WOS© Times Cited 23
Abstract Review of three studies devoted to the available potential energy (APE) leads to the proposal of a diagnosis for APE, well-suited for rotating stratified flows within the primitive equations (PE) framework in which anharmonic effects (due to large vertical displacements of isopycnals) are permitted. The chosen diagnosis is based on the APE definition of Holliday & McIntyre (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 107, 1981, pp. 221-225) and uses the background stratification of Winters et al. (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 289, 1995, pp. 115-128). Subsequent evaluation of the APE in a PE direct simulation (1/100 degrees, 200 levels) of oceanic mesoscale turbulence indicates that anharmonic effects are significant. These effects are due to large vertical displacements of the isopycnals and the curvature of the background density profile.
Full Text
File Pages Size Access
publication-6391.pdf 10 4 MB Open access
Top of the page