Abstract

This paper addresses the stirring properties of interacting two-dimensional vortex structures. It is well known from previous studies that essential features of dipole-dipole and dipole-monopole interactions, like partner exchange, are captured by simple point-vortex models of these structures. In order to investigate the mixing induced by such interactions, the method of contour kinematics is adopted here, which allows us to trace fluid particles that are initially confined within some closed contour. For example, by tracing the deformations of the separatrix enclosing the ‘atmosphere’ of a point-vortex dipole during the interaction with another single point vortex or vortex pair, the contour kinematics method provides information about the processes of entrainment and detrainment that take place during the interaction. Comparison of the modelling results with both full numerical simulations and laboratory experiments on dye-visualised vortex interactions in a stratified fluid reveals a surprisingly good qualitative agreement.

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