Role of diffusive overturning in nonlinear axisymmetric convection in a differentially heated rotating annulus |
| |
| Authors: | Michael E McIntyre |
| |
| Institution: | 1. Department of Meteorology , Mass. Inst. of Technology , Cambridge, England;2. St. John's College , Cambridge, England |
| |
| Abstract: | Abstract The “viscous overturning” mechanism, described in its simplest form by the linearized instability theory of the previous paper, is discussed in relation to certain numerical solutions recently obtained by G. P. Williams for steady thermally driven axisymmetric convective flow of water (Prandtl number = 7) in a rotating annulus differentially heated in the horizontal, in the “upper symmetric regime” parameter range. Viscous overturning plays an important and clearly identifiable role in the flows A3B, A4 and A5, which have free‐slip side walls and top surface, and a less clearcut role in A3 and B2, for which only the top surface is free. The discussion leads to various predictions about annulus flows not yet studied in detail. |
| |
| Keywords: | |
|
|
