2023/10/03 by Lennard Miller, Miller, Lennard, Antoine Venaille +3
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Engineering · Physics and Astronomy · #FOS: Physical sciences #Fluid Dynamics (physics.flu-dyn) #Fluid Dynamics and Turbulent Flows #Oceanographic and Atmospheric Processes #Solar and Space Plasma Dynamics
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2310.02187
openalex publication_date 2023/10/03 · openalex created_date 2023/10/05 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
The exploration of a two-dimensional wind-driven ocean model with no-slip boundaries reveals the existence of a turbulent asymptotic regime where energy dissipation becomes independent of fluid viscosity. This asymptotic flow represents an out-of-equilibrium state, characterized by a vigorous two-dimensional vortex gas superimposed onto a western-intensified gyre. The properties of the vortex gas are elucidated through scaling analysis for detached Prandtl boundary layers, providing a rationalization for the observed anomalous dissipation. The asymptotic regime demonstrates that boundary instabilities alone can be strong enough to evacuate wind-injected energy from the large-scale oceanic circulation.