Estimation of the Variability of Mesoscale Energy Spectra with Three Years of COSMO-DE Analyses

2019 ◽  
Vol 76 (2) ◽  
pp. 627-637 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tobias Selz ◽  
Lotte Bierdel ◽  
George C. Craig
Keyword(s):  
Energy Spectrum ◽  
Kinetic Energy ◽  
Potential Vorticity ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Spectral Slope ◽  
Dynamical Mechanism ◽  
Kinetic Energy Spectrum ◽  
Strong Source ◽  
Highly Correlated

Abstract Research on the mesoscale kinetic energy spectrum over the past few decades has focused on finding a dynamical mechanism that gives rise to a universal spectral slope. Here we investigate the variability of the spectrum using 3 years of kilometer-resolution analyses from COSMO configured for Germany (COSMO-DE). It is shown that the mesoscale kinetic energy spectrum is highly variable in time but that a minimum in variability is found on scales around 100 km. The high variability found on the small-scale end of the spectrum (around 10 km) is positively correlated with the precipitation rate where convection is a strong source of variance. On the other hand, variability on the large-scale end (around 1000 km) is correlated with the potential vorticity, as expected for geostrophically balanced flows. Accordingly, precipitation at small scales is more highly correlated with divergent kinetic energy, and potential vorticity at large scales is more highly correlated with rotational kinetic energy. The presented findings suggest that the spectral slope and amplitude on the mesoscale range are governed by an ever-changing combination of the upscale and downscale impacts of these large- and small-scale dynamical processes rather than by a universal, intrinsically mesoscale dynamical mechanism.

scholarly journals Anisotropic turbulence and zonal jets in rotating flows with a β-effect

2006 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 83-98 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Galperin ◽  
S. Sukoriansky ◽  
N. Dikovskaya ◽  
P. L. Read ◽  
Y. H. Yamazaki ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Spectrum ◽  
Kinetic Energy ◽  
Turbulent Flows ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Scaling Laws ◽  
Physical Nature ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Oceanic Circulation ◽  
Kinetic Energy Spectrum ◽  
Zonal Jets

Abstract. Numerical studies of small-scale forced, two-dimensional turbulent flows on the surface of a rotating sphere have revealed strong large-scale anisotropization that culminates in the emergence of quasi-steady sets of alternating zonal jets, or zonation. The kinetic energy spectrum of such flows also becomes strongly anisotropic. For the zonal modes, a steep spectral distribution, E(n)=CZ (Ω/R)2 n-5, is established, where CZ=O(1) is a non-dimensional coefficient, Ω is the angular velocity, and R is the radius of the sphere, respectively. For other, non-zonal modes, the classical, Kolmogorov-Batchelor-Kraichnan, spectral law is preserved. This flow regime, referred to as a zonostrophic regime, appears to have wide applicability to large-scale planetary and terrestrial circulations as long as those are characterized by strong rotation, vertically stable stratification and small Burger numbers. The well-known manifestations of this regime are the banded disks of the outer planets of our Solar System. Relatively less known examples are systems of narrow, subsurface, alternating zonal jets throughout all major oceans discovered in state-of-the-art, eddy-permitting simulations of the general oceanic circulation. Furthermore, laboratory experiments recently conducted using the Coriolis turntable have basically confirmed that the lateral gradient of ''planetary vorticity'' (emulated via the topographic β-effect) is the primary cause of the zonation and that the latter is entwined with the development of the strongly anisotropic kinetic energy spectrum that tends to attain the same zonal and non-zonal distributions, −5 and , respectively, in both the slope and the magnitude, as the corresponding spectra in other environmental conditions. The non-dimensional coefficient CZ in the −5 spectral law appears to be invariant, , in a variety of simulated and natural flows. This paper provides a brief review of the zonostrophic regime. The review includes the discussion of the physical nature, basic mechanisms, scaling laws and universality of this regime. A parameter range conducive to its establishment is identified, and collation of laboratory and naturally occurring flows is presented through which the zonostrophic regime manifests itself in the real world.

Hybrid Eulerian–Lagrangian simulations for polymer–turbulence interactions

2013 ◽  
Vol 717 ◽  
pp. 535-575 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takeshi Watanabe ◽  
Toshiyuki Gotoh
Keyword(s):  
Energy Spectrum ◽  
Energy Dissipation ◽  
Kinetic Energy ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Isotropic Turbulence ◽  
Polymer Concentration ◽  
Hybrid Approach ◽  
Weissenberg Number ◽  
Polymer Additives ◽  
Kinetic Energy Spectrum

AbstractThe effects of polymer additives on decaying isotropic turbulence are numerically investigated using a hybrid approach consisting of Brownian dynamics simulations for an enormous number of dumbbells (of the order of 10 billion,$O(1{0}^{10} )$) and direct numerical simulations of turbulence making full use of large-scale parallel computations. Reduction of the energy dissipation rate and modification of the kinetic energy spectrum in the dissipation range scale were observed when the reaction term due to the polymer additives was incorporated into the equation of motion for the solvent fluid. An increase in the polymer concentration or Weissenberg number${W}_{i} $yielded significant modifications of the turbulence statistics at small scales, such as a suppression of the local energy dissipation fluctuations. A power-law decay of the kinetic energy spectrum$E(k, t)\sim {k}^{- 4. 7} $was observed in the wavenumber range below the Kolmogorov length scale when${W}_{i} = 25$. The generation of intense vortices was suppressed by the polymer additives, consistent with previous studies using the constitutive equations. The field structures of the trace of the polymer stress depended on the intensity of its fluctuation: sheet-like structures were observed for the intermediate intensity region and filamentary structures were observed for the intense region. The results obtained with few polymers and large replicas could approximate those with many polymers and smaller replicas as far as the large-scale statistics were concerned.

scholarly journals Calculating Energy Spectra from Drifters

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph H. LaCasce
Keyword(s):  
Energy Spectrum ◽  
Kinetic Energy ◽  
Structure Function ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
Longitudinal Structure ◽  
Kinetic Energy Spectrum ◽  
Longitudinal Structure Function ◽  
Large Pair ◽  
Non Local ◽  
Lagrangian Data

The relations between the kinetic energy spectrum and the second order longitudinal structure function in two dimensions are derived, and several examples are considered. The forward conversion (from spectrum to structure function) is illustrated first with idealized power law spectra, representing turbulent inertial ranges. The forward conversion is also applied to the zonal kinetic energy spectrum of Nastrom and Gage (1985) and the result agrees well with the longitudinal structure function of Lindborg (1999). The inverse conversion (from structure function to spectrum) is tested with data from 2D turbulence simulations. When applied to the theoretical structure function (derived from the forward conversion of the spectrum), the result closely resembles the original spectrum, except at the largest wavenumbers. However the inverse conversion is much less successful when applied to the structure function obtained from pairs of particles in the flow. This is because the inverse conversion favors large pair separations, which are typically noisy with particle data. Fitting the structure function to a polynomial improves the result, but not sufficiently to distinguish the correct inertial range dependencies. Furthermore the inversion of non-local spectra is largely unsuccessful. Thus it appears that focusing on structure functions with Lagrangian data is preferable to estimating spectra.

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