Anisotropic Lagrangian dispersion in zonostrophic turbulence in a closed basin

Abstract

This article studies the anisotropic particle dispersion in a continuously forced, two-dimensional turbulent flow on a β-plane. The flow is immersed in a large-scale closed basin with free-slip walls. The anisotropy is analyzed in two sets of numerical experiments characterized by the magnitude of the imposed, time-dependent forcing (weak and strong). Both experiments exhibit typical features of zonostrophic turbulence: eddy motions that, on average, form alternating east–west circulation bands due to the β-effect. The dispersion anisotropy is investigated through three Lagrangian statistics calculated by zonal and meridional components: (i) relative dispersion between pairs of particles; (ii) dispersion ellipses; and (iii) finite-scale Lyapunov exponents (FSLE), also measured with particle pairs. In the experiment with weak forcing, the relative dispersion and dispersion ellipses show anisotropy with a zonal preference toward the west; however, the FSLE did not reveal significant anisotropy. In the experiment with strong forcing, the relative dispersion and dispersion ellipses show zonal anisotropy toward the west when the particles are far from the boundaries. As the particles reach the western wall and are redistributed to fill the domain, the anisotropy ceases. The FSLE show zonal anisotropy for a wide range of particle separations. The results are examined further by using no-slip boundary conditions and a rectangular domain geometry.