Abstract
Abstract The authors investigate the behavior of buoyancy-driven coastal currents in a series of numerical experiments based on a two-layer frontal geostrophic model. The model focuses on baroclinic instability, allows for finite amplitude variations in the upper-layer thickness, and includes a topographic background vorticity gradient. Simulations of isolated fronts demonstrate meandering of the frontal outcropping, filamentation, and the development of both warm core and cold core eddies. Eddies can merge with each other, separate, or be reabsorbed into the current. Despite the assumption of only two layers, it is found that growth rates and length scales of the emergent features are in agreement with results of studies based on more sophisticated primitive equation models. It is determined that the cross-front topographic slope has a significant effect on the instability. In particular, a bottom that slopes in the same sense as the fluid interface hinders the growth of perturbations. Simulations with t...
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