Emergence of large scale structure in planetary turbulence
arXiv:1211.6582 · doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.110.224501
Abstract
Planetary and magnetohydrodynamic drift-wave turbulence is observed to self-organize into large scale structures such as zonal jets and coherent vortices. In this Letter we present a non-equilibrium statistical theory, the Stochastic Structural Stability theory (SSST), that can make predictions for the formation and finite amplitude equilibration of non-zonal and zonal structures (lattice and stripe patterns) in homogeneous turbulence. This theory reveals that the emergence of large scale structure is the result of an instability of the interaction between the coherent flow and the associated turbulent field. Comparison of the theory with nonlinear simulations of a barotropic flow in a beta-plane channel with turbulence sustained by isotropic random stirring, demonstrates that SSST predicts the threshold parameters at which the coherent structures emerge as well as the characteristics of the emerging structures (scale, amplitude, phase speed). It is shown that non-zonal structures (lattice states or zonons) emerge at lower energy input rates of the stirring compared to zonal flows (stripe states) and their emergence affects the dynamics of jet formation.
5 pages, 5 figures
References in corpus (3)
Cited by in corpus (29)
- The Generalized Quasilinear Approximation: Application to Zonal Jets
- Zonal Flow as Pattern Formation
- A statistical state dynamics-based study of the structure and mechanism of large-scale motions in plane Poiseuille flow
- Recent Developments in Theories of Inhomogeneous and Anisotropic Turbulence
- A theory for the emergence of coherent structures in beta-plane turbulence
- A statistical state dynamics approach to wall-turbulence
- Statistical state dynamics of jet/wave coexistence in barotropic beta-plane turbulence
- Cumulant expansions for atmospheric flows
- Turbulence in the highly restricted dynamics of a closure at second order: comparison with DNS
- Zonal jets at the laboratory scale: hysteresis and Rossby waves resonance
- Statistical State Dynamics: a new perspective on turbulence in shear flow
- S3T stability of the homogeneous state of barotropic beta-plane turbulence
- Generalised quasilinear approximations of turbulent channel flow: Part 1. Streamwise nonlinear energy transfer
- Statistics of the stochastically-forced Lorenz attractor by the Fokker-Planck equation and cumulant expansions
- Magnetic suppression of zonal flows on a beta plane
- Dimensional Reduction of Direct Statistical Simulation
- Statistical state dynamics based theory for the formation and equilibration of Saturn's north polar jet
- Synchronization of Low Reynolds Number Plane Couette Turbulence
- Statistical state dynamics-based analysis of the physical mechanisms sustaining and regulating turbulence in Couette flow
- Structure formation in turbulence as instability of effective quantum plasma
- Direct Statistical Simulation of Jets and Vortices in 2D Flows
- Vertically Sheared Horizontal Flow-Forming Instability in Stratified Turbulence: Analytical Linear Stability Analysis of Statistical State Dynamics Equilibria
- Joint Instability and Abrupt Nonlinear Transitions in a Differentially Rotating Plasma
- Statistical state dynamics of weak jets in barotropic beta-plane turbulence
- Generalised Quasilinear Approximation of the Interaction of Convection and Mean Flows in a Thermal Annulus
- On statistical zonostrophic instability and the effect of magnetic fields
- Direct Statistical Simulation Using Generalised Cumulant Expansions
- Generation of wave turbulence in dipolar gases driven across their phase transitions
- Is spontaneous generation of coherent baroclinic flows possible?