Abstract
Abstract
Highlights
Shallow coherent structures are known to form in many types of geophysical flows for which the horizontal length scale L is much larger than the vertical scale H (L H), such as in stratified atmospheric flows (e.g. Etling & Brown 1993) and oceanic flows in the form of mesoscale eddies (e.g. Gill, Green & Simmons 1974)
Shallow turbulent coherent structures (TCSs) are characterised by their longevity, and kinetic energy decay is dominated by bottom friction since vertical flow confinement suppresses vortex stretching
This study presents the findings of a series of large-scale laboratory experiments on wave-induced TCSs in shallow water
Summary
Shallow coherent structures are known to form in many types of geophysical flows for which the horizontal length scale L is much larger than the vertical scale H (L H), such as in stratified atmospheric flows (e.g. Etling & Brown 1993) and oceanic flows in the form of mesoscale eddies (e.g. Gill, Green & Simmons 1974). Of particular interest to this study, is aerial footage of Port Oarai showing the emergence of a large-scale eddy that occupied the entire port basin (Lynett et al 2012) This monopolar TCS was generated by topographic forcing through the interaction of wave-induced currents with coastal breakwaters, in a similar mechanism to the generation of starting-jet vortices in barotropic inlets (Bryant et al 2012). This technique was applied by Flór & Van Heijst (1996) to study monopolar vortices in a non-rotating stratified fluid In this large-scale experimental study, a monopolar vortex is generated by a long wave with characteristic period and wavelength realistically scaled to a leading-elevation tsunami wave.
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