Nonlinear Effects and Vortical Structures in Homogeneous Rotating Turbulence under Stable Density Stratification.

Abstract

The generation mechanism of the vertical vortices associated with the baroclinic instability and the effects of nonlinear term the vortices are investigated by using both direct numerical simulation(DNS)and rapid distortion theory(RDT). Two kinds of the anisotropic flow fields are used as initial conditions. As a result, the initial anisotropy of Reynolds stresses is found to affect asymmetry of the vertical vortices. In the cases where the initial vertical velocity is set to be zero, the p.d.f.of the vertical vorticity tends to incline toward the anticyclonic side. When the vertical component of initial velocity is larger than the horizontal one, the cyclonic vortices are more enhanced. By comparing DNS and RDT, it is found that in both cases of the intial conditions the enhanced vortices of DNS are stretched in the vertical direction, which is not observed in the RDT results. This should be because the nonlinear vortex-stretching term intensifies and elongates vertical vortices in the vertical direction. The anticyclones are markedly augmented in low Prandtl number fluids, while the cyclones become dominant in the high Prandtl number case. In particular, the flow field becomes almost two-dimensionalized and Taylor columns are formed in the vertical direction in the low Prandtl number case. However, neither two-dimensionalization nor Taylor column is observed in the RDT analysis which neglects the nonlinear terms.