Abstract
Abstract Numerical experiments are performed over a wide range of parameters to show that mean flows in the form of Fofonoff gyres, characterized by a linear relationship between streamfunction and potential vorticity, are universally produced in the statistically steady state of inviscid unforced barotropic quasigeostrophic turbulence, provided that the initial state is sufficiently well resolved. Further, as the resolution is increased, the mean-flow energy approaches the total energy, and the mean-flow potential enstrophy reaches a minimum value, which is lower than the value with no flow. This is in agreement with the predictions of the theory of equilibrium statistical mechanics. The timescale for the appearance of these flows is on the order of 5–10τϵ, where τϵ is a mean eddy turnover time. When viscosity is turned on, the mean-flow Fofonoff gyres become internally homogenized and eventually disappear entirely as the flow decays to zero. This evolution of the gyres can be universally scaled with a t...
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
