Instability of planetary waves in a high vertical resolution model

Abstract

A high vertical resolution model is used to examine the instability of a baroclinic zonal flow and a finite amplitude topographically forced wave. Two families of unstable modes are found, consisting of zonally propagating most unstable modes, and stationary unstable modes. The former have time scale and spatial structure similar to baroclinic synoptic disturbances, but are localized in space due to interaction with the zonally asymmetric forcing. These modes transport heat efficiently in both the zonal and meridional directions. The second family of stationary unstable modes has characteristics of modes of low frequency variability of the atmosphere. They have time scales of 10 days and longer, and are of planetary scale with an equivalent barotropic vertical structure. The horizontal structure resembles blocking flows. They are maintained by available potential energy of the basic wave, and have large zonal heat fluxes. The results for both families of modes are interpreted in terms of an interaction between forcing and baroclinic instability to create favoured regions for eddy development. Applications to baroclinic planetary waves are also considered.     

On the normal mode instability of harmonic waves on a sphere

Abstract

The normal mode instability of harmonic waves in an ideal incompressible fluid on a rotating sphere is analytically studied. By the harmonic wave is meant a Legendrepolynomial flow αP_n(μ) (n ≥ 1) and steady Rossby-Haurwitz wave of set F ₁ ⊕ H_n where H_n is the subspace of homogeneous spherical polynomials of the degree n(n ≥ 2), and F ₁ is the one-dimensional subspace generated by the Legendre-polynomial P₁(μ). A necessary condition for the normal mode instability of the harmonic wave is obtained. By this condition, Fjörtoft's (1953) average spectral number of the amplitude of each unstable mode must be equal to . It is noted that flow αP_n (μ) is Liapunov (and hence, exponentially and algebraically) stable to all the disturbances whose zonal wavenumber m satisfies condition |m| ≥ n. The bounds of the growth rate of unstable normal modes are estimated as well. It is also shown that the amplitude of each unstable, decaying or non-stationary mode is orthogonal to the harmonic wave.

The new instability condition can be useful in the search of unstable perturbations to a harmonic wave and on trials of numerical stability study algorithms. For a Legendre-polynomial flow, it complements Kuo's (1949) condition in the sense that while the latter is related to the basic flow structure; the former characterizes the structure of a growing perturbation.     

A Note on Standing Internal Inertial Gravity Waves of Finite Amplitude

The effects of finite amplitude are examined in two-dimensional, standing, internal gravity waves in a rectangular container which rotates about a vertical axis at frequency f/ 2. Expressions are given for the velocity components, density fluctuations and isopycnal displacements to second order in the wave steepness in fluids with buoyancy frequency, N , of general form, and the effect of finite amplitude on wave frequency is given in an expansion to third order. The first order solutions, and the solutions to second order in the absence of rotation, are shown to conserve energy during a wave cycle. Analytical solutions are found to second order for the first two modes in a deep fluid with N proportional to sech( az ), where z is the upward vertical coordinate and a is scaling factor. In the absence of rotation, results for the first mode in the latter stratification are found to be consistent with those for interfacial waves. An analytical solution to fourth order in a fluid with constant N is given and used to examine the effects of rotation on the development of static instability or of conditions in which shear instability may occur. As in progressive internal waves, an effect of rotation is to enhance the possibility of shear instability for waves with frequencies close to f . The analysis points to a significant difference between the dynamics of standing waves in containers of limited size and progressive internal waves in an unlimited fluid; the effect of boundaries on standing waves may inhibit the onset of instability. A possible application of the analysis is to transverse oscillations in long, narrow, steep-sided lakes such as Loch Ness, Scotland.     

An evaluation of the classical and extended Rossby wave theories in explaining spectral estimates of the first few baroclinic modes in the South Pacific Ocean

Previous literature has suggested that multiple peaks in sea level anomalies (SLA) detected by two-dimensional Fourier Transform (2D-FT) analysis are spectral components of multiple propagating signals, which may correspond to different baroclinic Rossby wave modes. We test this hypothesis in the South Pacific Ocean by applying a 2D-FT analysis to the long Rossby wave signal determined from filtered TOPEX/Poseidon and European Remote Sensing-1/2 satellite altimeter derived SLA. The first four baroclinic mode dispersion curves for the classical linear wave theory and the Killworth and Blundell extended theory are used to determine the spectral signature and energy contributions of each mode. South of 17°S, the first two extended theory modes explain up to 60% more of the variance in the observed power spectral energy than their classical linear theory counterparts. We find that Rossby wave modes 2–3 contribute to the total Rossby wave energy in the SLA data. The second mode contributes significantly over most of the basin. The third mode is also evident in some localized regions of the South Pacific but may be ignored at the large scale. Examination of a selection of case study sites suggests that bathymetric effects may dominate at longer wavelengths or permit higher order mode solutions, but mean flow tends to be the more influential factor in the extended theory. We discuss the regional variations in frequency and wave number characteristics of the extended theory modes across the South Pacific basin.     

Instability of a geostrophic front and its energetics

Abstract

The instability of a current with a geostrophic surface density front is investigated by means of a reduced gravity model having a velocity profile with nearly uniform potential vorticity. It is shown that currents are unstable when the mean potential vorticity decreases toward the surface front at the critical point of the frontal trapped waves investigated by Paldor (1983). This instability is identical with that demonstrated by Killworth (1983) in the longwave limit.

The cross-stream component of mass flux and the rates of energy conversions among the five energy forms defined by Orlanski (1968) are also calculated. The main results are as follows, (a) The mass flux toward the surface front is positive near the front and negative around the critical point. The positive mass flux near the front does not vanish at the position of the undisturbed surface front, so that the mean position of the front moves outward and the region of the strong current spreads. (b) The potential energy of the mean flow integrated over the fluid is released through the work done by the force of the pressure gradient of the mean flow on the fluid, and is converted into the kinetic energy of the mean flow. (c) In the critical layer, the mean flow is rapidly accelerated with the growth of the unstable wave. This acceleration is caused by the rapid phase shift of the unstable wave in the critical layer.     

Diffusive destabilisation of the baroclinic circular vortex

Abstract

It is shown that, even for vanishingly small diffusivities of momentum and heat, a rotating stratified zonal shear flow is more unstable to zonally symmetric disturbances than would be indicated by the classical inviscid adiabatic criterion, unless σ, the Prandtl number, = 1. Both monotonic instability, and growing oscillations ("overstability") are involved, the former determining the stability criterion and having the higher growth rates. The more σ differs from 1, the larger the region in parameter space for which the flow is stable by the classical criterion, but actually unstable.

If the baroclinity is sufficiently great for the classical criterion also to indicate instability, the corresponding inviscid adiabatic modes usually have the numerically highest growth rates. An exception is the case of small isotherm slope and small σ.

A single normal mode of the linearized theory is also, formally, a finite amplitude solution; however, no theoretical attempt is made to assess the effect of finite amplitude in general. But, in a following paper, viscous overturning (the mechanism giving rise to the sub‐classical monotonic instability when σ > 1) is shown to play an important role at finite amplitude in certain examples of nonlinear steady thermally‐driven axisymmetric flow of water in a rotating annulus. Irrespective of whether analogous mechanisms turn out to be identifiable and important in large‐scale nature, it appears then that a Prandtl‐type parameter should enter the discussion of any attempt to make laboratory or numerical models of zonally‐symmetric baroclinic geophysical or astrophysical flows.     

Barotropic-Baroclinic instability of mean zonal wind during summer monsoon

Barotropic-Baroclinic instability of horizontally and vertically shearing mean monsoon flow during July is investigated numerically by using a 10-layer quasi-geostrophic model. The most unstable mode has a wavelength of about 3000 km and westward phase speed of about 15 m sec^–1. The most dominant energy conversion is from zonal kinetic energy to eddy kinetic energy. The structure of the most unstable mode is such that the maximum amplitude is concentrated at about 150 mb and the amplitude at the lowest layers is negligibly small. Barotropic instability of the zonal flow at 150 mb seems to be the primary excitation mechanism for the most unstable mode which is also similar to the observed westward propagating waves in the upper troposphere during the monsoon season. The results further suggest that Barotropic-Baroclinic instability of the mean monsoon flow cannot explain the occurrence of monsoon depressions which have their maximum amplitude at the lower levels and are rarely detected at 200 mb.     

The Theory of the Beta-Plane Baroclinic Topographic Modons

Form-preserving, uniformly translating, horizontally localized solutions (modons) are considered within the framework of nondissipative quasi-geostrophic dynamics for a two-layer model with meridionally sloping bottom. A general classification of the beta-plane baroclinic topographic modons ( g -BTMs) is given, and three distinct domains are shown to exist in the plane of the parameters. The first domain corresponds to the regular modons with the translation speed outside the range of the phase speeds of linear waves. In the second domain, modons cannot exist: only non-localized solutions are permissible here. The third domain contains both linear periodic waves and the so-called anomalous modons traveling without resonant radiation. Exact modon solutions with piecewise linear relation between the potential vorticity and streamfunction are found and analyzed. Special attention is given to the smooth regular dipole-plus-rider solutions (anomalous modons cannot carry a smooth axisymmetric rider). As distinct from their flat-bottom analogs, g -BTMs may have nonzero total angular momentum. This feature combined with the ability of g -BTMs to bear smooth riders of arbitrary amplitude provides the existence of almost monopolar (in both layers) stationary vortices.     

Instability of a thin magnetic tube in the solar atmosphere

Abstract

The static equilibrium of a thin vertical magnetic tube embedded in the solar atmosphere is shown to be dynamically unstable against the fundamental mode of perturbation having no nodes in the vertical displacement. The instability has its origin in the convection zone, and the eigenfunction is extended further up in the stable upper layers by the magnetic field which guides the displacement mainly in the longitudinal direction. It is suggested that the downdraft observed in the solar network structure is a finite amplitude consequence of this instability. The overtone modes are found to be stable.     

On steady and travelling waves over bottom topography in the model of homogeneous flow in a beta-plane channel

Abstract

A spectral low-order model is proposed in order to investigate some effects of bottom corrugation on the dynamics of forced and free Rossby waves. The analysis of the interaction between the waves and the topographic modes in the linear version of the model shows that the natural frequencies lie between the corresponding Rossby wave frequencies for a flat bottom and those applying in the “topographic limit” when the beta-effect is zero. There is a possibility of standing or eastward-travelling free waves when the integrated topograhic effect exceeds the planetary beta-effect.

The nonlinear interactions between forced waves in the presence of topography and the beta-effect give rise to a steady dynamical mode correlated to the topographic mode. The periodic solution that includes this steady wave is stable when the forcing field moves to the West with relatively large phase speed. The energy of this solution may be transferred to the steady zonal shear flow if the spatial scale of this zonal mode exceeds the scale of the directly forced large-scale dynamical mode.     

Nonmodal Growth on a Sphere at Various Horizontal Scales

Nonmodal growth (NG) and unstable normal mode growth are considered in spherical geometry. Two groups of initial conditions (IC) are studied: "connected" IC (common in Cartesian studies) and "separated" IC (based on observed conditions prior to cyclogenesis). Time series of growth rates are emphasized in conjunction with eigenmode projections. Projections show that early on normal mode growth was much stronger for connected IC and that NG caused negative growth early on of some variables for separated IC. Projections explain why amplitude, kinetic energy (KE), and potential vorticity have more NG than available potential energy (APE). Though varying between ICs and with initial phase shift, NG increases with wavenumber. For middle wavelengths, NG is significant and positive using connected IC but negative or small using separated IC. Total energy and KE growth rates of short waves are very similar during the first 2 days for both ICs. Amplitude time series closely follow KE in all cases studied. APE has less overlap than does KE between the main modes present, so less NG occurs for APE than for KE. In separated IC cases, APE growth rates evolve consistent with emergence of an unstable normal mode and little NG.     

Onset of an energy cascade and nonperiodic behaviour in the nonlinear propagation of MHD waves in the solar atmosphere

Abstract

We study the nonlinear stability of MHD waves propagating in a two-dimensional, compressible, highly magnetized, viscous plasma. These waves are driven by a weak, shear body force which could be imposed by large scale internal fluctuations present in the solar atmosphere.

The effects of anisotropic viscosity (leading to a cubic damping) and of the nonlinear coupling of the Alfven and the magnetoacoustic waves are analysed using Galerkin and multiple-scale analysis: the MHD equations are reduced to a set of nonlinear ordinary differential equations which is then suitably truncated to give a model dynamical system, representing the interaction of two complex Galerkin modes.

For propagation oblique to the background magnetic field, analytical integration shows that the low-wavenumber mode is physically unstable. For propagation parallel to the background magnetic field the high-wavenumber wave can undergo saddlenode bifurcations, in way that is similar to the van der Pol oscillator; these bifurcations lead to the appearance of a hysteresis cycle.

A numerical integration of the dynamical system shows that a sequence of Hopf bifurcations takes place as the Reynolds number is increased, up to the onset of nonperiodic behaviour. It also shows that energy can be transferred from the low- wavenumber to the high-wavenumber mode.     

The scattering of Rossby waves from finite abrupt topography

The scattering of first mode linear baroclinic Rossby waves by a top-hat ridge in a continuously stratified ocean, with Brunt-Väisälä frequency that decays exponentially with depth below a surface mixed layer, is the subject of this study. A numerical mode matching technique is used to calculate the transmission coefficients for the propagating modes over the ridge. It is found that the scattered field depends crucially upon the stratification. For example, when the majority of the density variation is confined to a thin thermocline, corresponding to a small e-folding scale, gamma ^?1, for the Brunt-Väisälä frequency, a large amount of the incident wave energy is reflected by a small amplitude ridge. Appreciable energy conversion between the propagating barotropic and baroclinic modes takes place in this case. An asymptotic analysis for a small amplitude ridge is presented that confirms these numerical results. In the limit gamma ^?1→ 0, it is demonstrated that the scattered field in the continuously stratified ocean model differs markedly from the two-layer solution. The latter does not exhibit appreciable reflection of the incident wave energy for a small amplitude ridge. In conclusion, the application of a two-layer ocean model to describe Rossby wave scattering by ridges in place of a continuously stratified model cannot be recommended.     

Nonlinear dynamical modeling of solar cycles using dynamo formulation with turbulent magnetic helicity

Abstract

We describe a sequence of two-dimensional numerical simulations of inflection point instability in a stably stratified shear flow near the ground. The fastest growing Kelvin-Helmholtz modes are studied in detail; in particular we investigate the growth inhibiting effect of the ground which is predicted by linear theory and the Reynolds number dependence of the process of growth to finite amplitude. We consider flows which are both above and below the critical Reynolds number (Re = 300) which has been reported by Woods (1969) to mark the boundary between flows which have turbulent final states and those which do not. A global energy budget reveals a fundamental difference in character of the finite amplitude billows in these two Reynolds number regimes. However, for relatively high Reynolds numbers (Re = 10³) we do not find any explicit evidence for secondary instability. Above the transition Reynolds number the modified mean flow induced by wave growth is characterized by a splitting of the original shear layer and of the in version in which it is embedded.     

The instability of internal gravity waves to localised disturbances

The instability of an internal gravity wave due to nonlinear wave-wave interaction is studied theoretically and numerically. Three different aspects of this phenomenon are examined. 1. The influence of dissipation on both the resonant and the nonresonant interactions is analysed using a normal mode expansion of the basic equations. In particular, the modifications induced in the interaction domain are calculated and as a result some modes are shown to be destabilised by dissipation. 2. The evolution of an initial unstable disturbance of finite vertical extent is described as the growth of two secondary wave packets travelling at the same group velocity. A quasi-linear correction to the basic primary wave is calculated, corresponding to a localised amplitude decrease due to the disturbance growth. 3. Numerical experiments are carried out to study the effect of a basic shear on wave instability. It appears that the growing secondary waves can have a frequency larger than that of the primary wave, provided that the shear is sufficient. The instability of waves with large amplitude and long period, such as tides or planetary waves, could therefore be invoked as a possible mechanism for the generation of gravity waves with shorter period in the middle atmosphere.     

Barotropic instability of weakly non-parallel zonal flows

Abstract

Barotropic instability of weakly non-parallel zonal flows with localized intense shear regions is investigated numerically. The numerical integrations of the linear stability problem reveal the existence of unstable localized wave packets whose spatial structure and eigenfrequencies depend on two parameters which measure the degree of supercriticality and the zonal length-scale of the shear region. The results indicate that the structure of the instability is determined by conditions that ensure the decay of the wave packet at infinity and the transition from long to short waves across a turning point (critical layer) region which is controlled by non-parallel effects. The controlling influence exerted by the weak non-parallel effects on the evolution of the instability underlines the weakness of the parallel flow assumption which can be used locally, away from critical layers, as a diagnostic tool only.     

Finite amplitude holmboe waves

Abstract

We investigate the evolution of a parallel shear flow which has embedded within it a thin, symmetrically positioned layer of stable density stratification. The primary instability of this flow may deliver either Kelvin-Helmholtz waves or Holmboe waves, depending on the strength of the stratification. In this paper we describe a sequence of numerical simulations which reveal for the first time the behavior of the Holmboe wave at finite amplitude and clarify its structural relationship to the Kelvin-Helmholtz wave.

The flows investigated have initial profiles of horizontal velocity and Brunt-Vaisala frequency given in nondimensional form by U = tanhζ and N ²=J sech² RCζ, respectively, in which ζ is a nondimensional vertical coordinate, J is the value of the gradient Richardson number N ²/(dU/dζ)² at ζ=0, and R = 3. Linear stability theory predicts that the flow will develop Holmboe instability when J exceeds some critical value J_c' and Kelvin-Helmholtz instability when J is less than J_c; J_c being approximately equal to 0.25 when R=3. We simulate the evolution of flows with J=0.9, J=0.45, and J = 0.22, and find that the first two simulations yield Holmboe waves while the third yields a Kelvin-Helmholtz wave, as predicted.

The Holmboe wave is a superposition of two oppositely propagating disturbances, a right-going mode whose energy is concentrated in the region above the centre of the shear layer, and a left-going mode whose energy is concentrated below the centre of the shear layer. The horizontal speed of the modes varies periodically, and the variations are most pronounced at low values of J. If J ζ J_c' the minimum horizontal speed of the modes vanishes and the modes become phase-locked, whereupon they roll up to form a Kelvin-Helmholtz wave as predicted by Holmboe (1962). When J is moderately greater than J_c' the Holmboe wave ejects long, thin plumes of fluid into the regions above and below the shear layer, as has often been observed in laboratory experiments, and we examine in detail the mechanism by which this occurs.     

Convection and gravity waves in two layer models. I. Overstable modes driven in conducting boundary layers

Abstract

Stability analysis is formulated for a two-layer fluid model in which the upper and lower layers are convectively stable and unstable, respectively. With discontinuities in viscosity and conductivity at the interface, the exchange of stability does not generally hold and overstability is possible. A detailed analytical treatment is presented for the case of small viscosity and conductivity in which viscous and conducting boundary layers are formed at the interface.

The usual damping effect due to the energy dissipation by viscosity and thermal conductivity exists irrespective of whether the mode is the convection or the gravity wave, but, for larger horizontal wave lengths, the effect of the boundary layer can become more important. The jump in the thermal conductivity in the boundary layer can give rise to overstability of the gravity wave in agreement with Souffrin and Spiegel (1967). The jump in the viscosity provides a self-catalytic action for the unstable flow if the viscosity is assumed to be the nonlinear turbulent viscosity due to the motion itself. The effect, however, is not strong enough to overcome the usual viscous damping.     

Hydromagnetic waves in a differentially rotating annulus IV. Insulating boundaries

Abstract

The first three papers in this series (Fearn, 1983b, 1984, 1985) have investigated the stability of a strong toroidal magnetic field B_o =B_o(s?)Φ [where (s?. Φ, z?) are cylindrical polars] in a rapidly rotating system. The application is to the cores of the Earth and the planets but a simpler cylindrical geometry was chosen to permit a detailed study of the instabilities present. A further simplification was the use of electrically perfectly conducting boundary conditions. Here, we replace these with the boundary conditions appropriate to an insulating container. As expected, we find the same instabilities as for a perfectly conducting container, with quantitative changes in the critical parameters but no qualitative differences except for some interesting mixing between the ideal (“field gradient”) and resistive modes for azimuthal wavenumber m=1. In addition to these modes, we have also found the “exceptional” slow mode of Roberts and Loper (1979) and we investigate the conditions required for its instability for a variety of fields B_o(s?) Roberts and Loper's analysis was restricted to the case B_o∝s? and they found instability only for m=1 and ?1 <ω<0 [where ω is the frequency non-dimensionalised on the slow timescale τ_x, see (1.5)]. For other fields we found the necessary conditions to be less “exceptional”. One surprising feature of this instability is the importance of inertia for its existence. We show that viscosity is an alternative destabilising agent. The standard (magnetostrophic) approximation of neglecting inertial (and viscous) terms in the equation of motion has the effect of filtering out this instability. The field strength required for this “exceptional” mode to become unstable is found to be very much larger than that thought to be present in the Earth's core, so we conclude that this mode is unlikely to play an important role in the dynamics of the core.     

A new instability mechanism related to high-angle waves

Waves with a large incidence angle in deep water can drive a morphodynamic instability on a sandy coast whereby shoreline sand waves, cuspate forelands, and spits can emerge. This instability is related to bathymetric perturbations extending offshore in the shoaling zone. Here, we explore a different mechanism where the large incidence angle is supposed to occur at breaking and the bathymetric perturbations occur only in the surf zone. For wave incidence angles at breaking above ≈?45^°, the one-line approximation of coastal dynamics predicts an unstable shoreline. This instability (EHAWI) is scale-free and the growth rate increases without bound for decreasing wavelength. Here we use a 2DH morphodynamic model resolving surf zone instabilities to investigate whether EHAWI could approximate a real instability in nature with a characteristic length scale. Assuming very idealized conditions on the bathymetric profile and sediment transport, we find a 2DH instability mode consisting of shore-oblique up-current bars coupled to a meandering of the longshore current. This mode grows for high-angle waves, above about 30^° (offshore) and the maximum growth rate occurs for the angle maximizing the angle at breaking, about 70^° (offshore). The dominant wavelength is of the order of the surf zone width. Interestingly, for long sand waves, the growth rate never becomes negative and it matches very well the anti-diffusive behavior of EHAWI. This distinguishes the present instability mode from other modes found in previous studies for other bathymetric and sediment transport conditions. Thus, we conclude that EHAWI approximates a real morphodynamic instability only for quite particular conditions. In such case, a characteristic length scale of the instability emerges thanks to surf zone processes that damp short wavelengths.