Editorial Type:
Article
Article Type:
Research Article

Instability of Shielded Surface Temperature Vortices

Benjamin J. Harvey Department of Meteorology, University of Reading, Reading, United Kingdom

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Maarten H. P. Ambaum Department of Meteorology, University of Reading, Reading, United Kingdom

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Xavier J. Carton LPO, UBO/UEB, Brest, France

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Print Publication:
01 May 2011
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1175/2010JAS3669.1
Page(s):
964–971
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Abstract

The stability characteristics of the surface quasigeostrophic shielded Rankine vortex are found using a linearized contour dynamics model. Both the normal modes and nonmodal evolution of the system are analyzed and the results are compared with two previous studies. One is a numerical study of the instability of smooth surface quasigeostrophic vortices with which qualitative similarities are found and the other is a corresponding study for the two-dimensional Euler system with which several notable differences are highlighted.

Corresponding author address: Ben Harvey, Department of Meteorology, University of Reading, P.O. Box 243, Reading RG6 6BB, United Kingdom. E-mail: b.j.harvey@reading.ac.uk

Abstract

The stability characteristics of the surface quasigeostrophic shielded Rankine vortex are found using a linearized contour dynamics model. Both the normal modes and nonmodal evolution of the system are analyzed and the results are compared with two previous studies. One is a numerical study of the instability of smooth surface quasigeostrophic vortices with which qualitative similarities are found and the other is a corresponding study for the two-dimensional Euler system with which several notable differences are highlighted.

Corresponding author address: Ben Harvey, Department of Meteorology, University of Reading, P.O. Box 243, Reading RG6 6BB, United Kingdom. E-mail: b.j.harvey@reading.ac.uk
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