Abstract
Abstract This paper proposes and discusses mechanisms whereby mean flows and jets are produced by differential rotation and by topographic effects. It is shown that, in general, a mean gradient of potential vorticity not only inhibits the cascade of energy to large scales but directly produces anisotropic structures. Scalings for this are examined on the β plane using ideas from classical phenomenology. The scalings are naturally anisotropic and predict the formation of zonal flows directly through a turbulent cascade. Numerical simulations and two-point closure calculations qualitatively confirm the predictions. Also, simulations of barotropic flow on the β plane can produce zonal jet structures of exceptional persistence over many eddy turnover times. Unsteady flow over topography generally produces a mean flow with a correlation between streamfunction and topography, with anticyclonic motion over humps. If the topography is shallow (or the flow sufficiently energetic) the mean streamfunction will be of...
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