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Control of Baroclinic Instability by Rough Topography.

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Title: Control of Baroclinic Instability by Rough Topography.
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]
Copyright of Journal of Physical Oceanography is the property of American Meteorological Society and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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  Data: Control of Baroclinic Instability by Rough Topography.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Davis%2C+Travis+J%2E%22">Davis, Travis J.</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Radko%2C+Timour%22">Radko, Timour</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> tradko@nps.edu</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Brown%2C+Justin+M%2E%22">Brown, Justin M.</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Journal+of+Physical+Oceanography%22">Journal of Physical Oceanography</searchLink>. May2026, Vol. 56 Issue 5, p1-12. 12p.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Bathymetry%22">Bathymetry</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Submarine+topography%22">Submarine topography</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Baroclinicity%22">Baroclinicity</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Fluid+flow%22">Fluid flow</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Mathematical+models%22">Mathematical models</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Simulation+methods+%26+models%22">Simulation methods & models</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Ocean+bottom%22">Ocean bottom</searchLink>
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  Label: Abstract
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  Data: 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]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Journal of Physical Oceanography is the property of American Meteorological Society and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=egs&AN=194578074
RecordInfo BibRecord:
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    Identifiers:
      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1175/JPO-D-25-0111.1
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      – Code: eng
        Text: English
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      Pagination:
        PageCount: 12
        StartPage: 1
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Bathymetry
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Submarine topography
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Baroclinicity
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Fluid flow
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Mathematical models
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Simulation methods & models
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Ocean bottom
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: Control of Baroclinic Instability by Rough Topography.
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            NameFull: Davis, Travis J.
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            NameFull: Radko, Timour
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          Name:
            NameFull: Brown, Justin M.
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          Dates:
            – D: 01
              M: 05
              Text: May2026
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
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              Value: 56
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              Value: 5
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            – TitleFull: Journal of Physical Oceanography
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