Stability characteristics of jets in linearly-stratified, rotating fluids

Abstract

Abstract A series of laboratory experiments are conducted concerning an azimuthal jet of a linearly stratified rotating fluid in a cylindrical geometry. The jet is characterized by vertical and horizontal shear and the question of the stability of the flow is considered experimentally. The jet is driven by a source-sink method characterized by a volume flow rate of strength Q. BecauseQ has no direct geophysical significance a combined external set of dimensionless parameters is introduced. These include the Rossby, Richardson and Ekman numbers, the jet aspect ratio and two geometrical parameters. A RossbyRo against RichardsonRi number flow regime diagram is presented which shows that the wave mode of the instability generally decreases with increasingRo andRi, for fixedRi andRo, respectively. In accordance with Killworth's (1980) linear stability analysis, the wave mode for smallRi (Ri ≲ 15) depends principally onRi with the instability being largely a baroclinic one. For largerRi(Ri ≲100), again as predicted by Killworth's theory, the wave mode depends primarily onRo, the instability being a barotropic one. The regime diagram can be used to estimate the wave-length of jet instabilities in the atmosphere and oceans. These estimates suggest that the wave-lengths decrease with increasing jet velocity, decreasing jet width (equivalent to increasing horizontal shear) and increasing vertical shear, other parameters being fixed. An azimuthal topography aligned along the jet has the tendency to stabilize the jet in the sense that the amplitude of the instability is shown to be dramatically smaller in the presence of the topography, other parameters being fixed. The topography also tends to increase the wave-length of the instability. A scaling analysis is advanced, and supporting experimental data presented, relating the external and internal parameters utilized.