A series of experiments were performed in a rotating annulus of fluid to study effects of rotation rate on pianeta ry-scale baroclinic wave flows. The experiments reveal that change in rotation rate of fluid container...A series of experiments were performed in a rotating annulus of fluid to study effects of rotation rate on pianeta ry-scale baroclinic wave flows. The experiments reveal that change in rotation rate of fluid container causes variation in Rossby number and Taylor number in flows and leads to change in flow patterns and in phase and amplitude of quasi-stationary waves. For instance, with increasing rotation rate, amplitude of quasi-stationary waves increases and phase shifts upstream. On the contrary, with decreasing rotation rate, amplitude of quasi-stationary waves de creases and phase shifts downstream. In the case of the earth's atmosphere, although magnitude of variation in earth's rotation rate is very small, yet it causes a very big change in zonal velocity component of wind in the atmosphere and of currents in the ocean, and therefore causes a remarkable change in Rossby number and Taylor number determining regimes in planetary-scale geophysical flows. 1 he observation reveals that intensity and geographic location of subtropic anticyclones in both of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres change consistently with the variation in earth's rotation rate. The results of fluid experiments are consistent, qualitatively, with observed phenomena in the atmospheric circulation.展开更多
The effects of topography on baroclinic wave flows are studied experimentally in a thermally driven rotating annulus of fluid.Fourier analysis and complex principal component (CPC) analysis of the experimental data sh...The effects of topography on baroclinic wave flows are studied experimentally in a thermally driven rotating annulus of fluid.Fourier analysis and complex principal component (CPC) analysis of the experimental data show that, due to topographic forcing, the flow is bimodal rather than a single mode. Under suitable imposed experimental parameters, near thermal Rossby number ROT = 0.1 and Taylor number Ta = 2.2 × 107, the large-scale topography produces low-frequency oscillation in the flow and rather long-lived flow pattern resembling blocking in the atmospheric circulation. The 'blocking' phenomenon is caused by the resonance of travelling waves and the quasi-stationary waves forced by topography.The large-scale topography transforms wavenumber-homogeneous flows into wavenumber-dispersed flows, and the dispersed flows possess lower wavenumbers.展开更多
文摘A series of experiments were performed in a rotating annulus of fluid to study effects of rotation rate on pianeta ry-scale baroclinic wave flows. The experiments reveal that change in rotation rate of fluid container causes variation in Rossby number and Taylor number in flows and leads to change in flow patterns and in phase and amplitude of quasi-stationary waves. For instance, with increasing rotation rate, amplitude of quasi-stationary waves increases and phase shifts upstream. On the contrary, with decreasing rotation rate, amplitude of quasi-stationary waves de creases and phase shifts downstream. In the case of the earth's atmosphere, although magnitude of variation in earth's rotation rate is very small, yet it causes a very big change in zonal velocity component of wind in the atmosphere and of currents in the ocean, and therefore causes a remarkable change in Rossby number and Taylor number determining regimes in planetary-scale geophysical flows. 1 he observation reveals that intensity and geographic location of subtropic anticyclones in both of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres change consistently with the variation in earth's rotation rate. The results of fluid experiments are consistent, qualitatively, with observed phenomena in the atmospheric circulation.
基金This research was supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation Grants ATM-8709410 and ATM-8714674.
文摘The effects of topography on baroclinic wave flows are studied experimentally in a thermally driven rotating annulus of fluid.Fourier analysis and complex principal component (CPC) analysis of the experimental data show that, due to topographic forcing, the flow is bimodal rather than a single mode. Under suitable imposed experimental parameters, near thermal Rossby number ROT = 0.1 and Taylor number Ta = 2.2 × 107, the large-scale topography produces low-frequency oscillation in the flow and rather long-lived flow pattern resembling blocking in the atmospheric circulation. The 'blocking' phenomenon is caused by the resonance of travelling waves and the quasi-stationary waves forced by topography.The large-scale topography transforms wavenumber-homogeneous flows into wavenumber-dispersed flows, and the dispersed flows possess lower wavenumbers.
