Diffusive instabilities of baroclinic lenticular vortices

Instabilities of a Baroclinic, Double Diffusive Frontal Zone

The linear theory of double diffusive interleaving is extended to take account of baroclinic effects. This study goes beyond previous studies by including the possibility of modes with nonzero tilt in the alongfront direction, which allows for advection by the baroclinic frontal flow. This requires that the stability equations be solved numerically. The main example is based on observations of ...

Physical Simulation of Baroclinic Waves and Vortices in the Atmosphere

Numerical Simulation of Baroclinic Jovian Vortices

We examine the evolution of baroclinic vortices in a time-dependent, nonlinear numerical model of a Jovian atmosphere. The model uses a normal-mode expansion in the vertical, using the barotropic and first two baroclinic modes. Results for the stability of baroclinic vortices on an f plane in the absence of a mean zonal flow are similar to results of Earth vortex models, although the presence o...

Baroclinic Vortices over a Sloping Bottom

Nonlinear quasigeostrophic flows in two layers over a topographic slope are considered. Scaling the lower layer potential vorticity equation yields two parameters which indicate the degree of nonlinearity in the lower layer. The first, u' (the strength of the deep flow divided by the product of the effective bottom slope and the squared length scale), is related to the advection of relative vor...

Diffusive instabilities in heterogeneous systems

We investigate the behavior of a system composed of two small identical water droplets loaded with an activator-inhibitor system possessing only a single stable steady state and coupled through a third, ‘‘signaling’’ species able to diffuse through the interdroplet medium. Depending on whether the third species is coupled to the activator or the inhibitor, the system can exhibit wave instabilit...