Spin-down of a barotropic vortex by irregular small-scale topography

Abstract

This study examines the impact of small-scale irregular topographic features on the dynamics and evolution of large-scale barotropic flows in the ocean. A multiscale theory is developed, which makes it possible to represent large-scale effects of the bottom roughness without explicitly resolving small-scale variability. The analytical model reveals that the key mechanism of topographic control involves the generation of a small-scale eddy field associated with considerable Reynolds stresses. These eddy stresses are inversely proportional to the large-scale velocity and adversely affect mean circulation patterns. The multiscale model is applied to the problem of topography-induced spin-down of a large circularly symmetric vortex and is validated by corresponding topography-resolving simulations. The small-scale bathymetry chosen for this configuration conforms to the Goff–Jordan statistical spectrum. While the multiscale model formally assumes a substantial separation between the scales of interacting flow components, it is remarkably accurate even when scale separation is virtually non-existent.