École Nationale Supérieure de
Techniques Avancées

Abstract

Vortices are nonlinear structures that play a vital role in geophysical,astrophysical and a variety of other types of fluid dynamics. They can both contribute to the mixing of fluid properties and also transport properties over vast distances. We propose to investigate the evolution of elliptical vortices in an oceanographic context using the Rotating Shallow Water (RSW) model and how they destabilize to eject filaments and smaller vortices. The RSW model is greatly simplified compared to the full Navier-Stokes, but does retain both fast gravity waves and slow planetary waves. We will perform numerical simulations using existing code that is part of the SPINS (Pseudo-spectral Incompressible Navier-Stokes) library. In particular, we will investigate asymmetries that exist between cyclones and anticyclones in how gravity waves are radiated and energy cascades to smaller length scales. If time permits, we will then explore the transport and distribution of a simple planktonic ecosystem.