Nonlinear Dynamics in a Two-Layer Model of Baroclinic Instability and the Effects of Varying Sidewall Boundary Conditions

Abstract

The behavior of two-layer, quasi-geostrophic flow ill a channel, which is subject to baroclinic instability, is investigated using a high-resolution numerical model. Solutions are obtained for both free-slip sidewalls (which allow tangential velocities but zero stress) and rigid sidewalls (which enforce zero velocity). Results for the slippery model are presented first, and the physics underlying the observed behavior is examined. As the Froude number F is increased, the system exhibits a transition from steady flow to periodic, quasi-periodic, and finally chaotic behavior. As F is increased to about five times the linear critical value, the motion becomes chaotic, and for even larger values of F it moves toward a "geostrophic turbulence" regime. The route to chaos is determined to be the breakdown of a two-torus.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 1993
Accession Number
ADA343187

Entities

People

  • Michael D. Mundt

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Boundary Layer
  • Computational Fluid Dynamics
  • Computational Science
  • Differential Equations
  • Energy Conversion
  • Energy Transfer
  • Fluid Dynamics
  • Fluid Mechanics
  • Froude Number
  • Geometry
  • Nonlinear Dynamics
  • Nonlinear Systems
  • Ocean Currents
  • Partial Differential Equations
  • Physics
  • Stratified Fluids
  • Two Dimensional

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Atmospheric Science / Meteorology, specifically Wind Wave Turbulence.
  • Ocean-Atmosphere Mesoscale Modeling, Data Assimilation, and Flux Boundary Layers