Inertial instability and sea spirals

Details Inertial instability and sea spirals Inertial instability and sea spirals

Dec 2002

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2002georl..29w..39s&link_type=abstract

Geophysical Research Letters, Volume 29, Issue 23, pp. 39-1, CiteID 2124, DOI 10.1029/2002GL015701

Physics

4

Oceanography: Physical: Upper Ocean Processes, Oceanography: Physical: Currents, Oceanography: General: Numerical Modeling

Scientific paper

The ubiquitous occurrence of submesoscale cyclonic spirals in the sea as inferred from space imagery is interpreted in terms of the inertial instability of a horizontally sheared current in the oceanic mixed layer. The instability is shown to weaken anticyclonic current shear while enhancing cyclonic shear, which, in turn, becomes unstable and creates a cyclonic vortex; concurrently, surface tracer particles concentrated along the evolving cyclonic shear are wound up into a spiral, mimicking the spiral slick patterns seen in the imagery. The entire process, investigated with a fully nonlinear nonhydrostatic 3D numerical model, is contrasted with the baroclinic frontal process considered previously. The differences point to a clear need for field observations of this significant phenomenon, which are presently almost totally lacking.

Affiliated with

Also associated with

No associations

Rating

Inertial instability and sea spirals does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.

If you have personal experience with Inertial instability and sea spirals, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Inertial instability and sea spirals will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-964786