Control of Baroclinic Instability by Rough Topography.
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| Title: | Control of Baroclinic Instability by Rough Topography. |
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| Authors: | Davis, Travis J.1 (AUTHOR), Radko, Timour1 (AUTHOR) tradko@nps.edu, Brown, Justin M.1 (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Journal of Physical Oceanography. May2026, Vol. 56 Issue 5, p1-12. 12p. |
| Subjects: | Bathymetry, Submarine topography, Baroclinicity, Fluid flow, Mathematical models, Simulation methods & models, Ocean bottom |
| Abstract: | Baroclinic instability is a primary source of mesoscale variability in the world's oceans. However, its interactions with irregular small-scale topographic features, referred to as bottom roughness are still poorly understood. This study seeks to quantify the impact of roughness on the instability's growth rate and its saturated fully nonlinear state. In contrast to previous models, our study considers realistic roughness patterns obtained from the depth spectrum of Goff and Jordan (1988) which, in turn, is based on echo-sounding measurements. We perform a series of high-resolution simulations over a representative range of flow speeds and roughness magnitudes and demonstrate that rough topography can substantially suppress baroclinic instability. The effect becomes particularly strong for relatively weak flows and rough bathymetry. These results are rationalized using the so-called sandpaper theory, which concisely parameterizes the impact of roughness on larger scales of motion. We validate sandpaper theory by roughness-resolving simulations and use it to construct analytical solutions that conceptualize the effect. Our study highlights the sensitivity of large-scale and mesoscale flows to small-scale topography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| Database: | Engineering Source |
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| Abstract: | Baroclinic instability is a primary source of mesoscale variability in the world's oceans. However, its interactions with irregular small-scale topographic features, referred to as bottom roughness are still poorly understood. This study seeks to quantify the impact of roughness on the instability's growth rate and its saturated fully nonlinear state. In contrast to previous models, our study considers realistic roughness patterns obtained from the depth spectrum of Goff and Jordan (1988) which, in turn, is based on echo-sounding measurements. We perform a series of high-resolution simulations over a representative range of flow speeds and roughness magnitudes and demonstrate that rough topography can substantially suppress baroclinic instability. The effect becomes particularly strong for relatively weak flows and rough bathymetry. These results are rationalized using the so-called sandpaper theory, which concisely parameterizes the impact of roughness on larger scales of motion. We validate sandpaper theory by roughness-resolving simulations and use it to construct analytical solutions that conceptualize the effect. Our study highlights the sensitivity of large-scale and mesoscale flows to small-scale topography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| ISSN: | 00223670 |
| DOI: | 10.1175/JPO-D-25-0111.1 |
