A steady azimuthal stratified flow modelling the Antarctic Circumpolar Current
А. А. Абрашкин, Adrian Constantin
Abstract
We investigate steady flow moving purely in the azimuthal direction on a rotating sphere and having a meridionally localized jet structure. An exact solution for a stratified inviscid fluid, which admits a depth-dependent velocity profile below the surface, is constructed in spherical coordinates. This solution is relevant to the modelling of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. We show that the stratification enables us to dispense with the nonconservative body force that was invoked in recent spherical-coordinate models to produce realistic flow profiles.
Topics & Concepts
Circumpolar starInviscid flowStratification (seeds)AzimuthCurrent (fluid)MechanicsFlow (mathematics)Jet (fluid)GeologySpherical coordinate systemStratified flowClassical mechanicsPhysicsGeometryGeodesyMathematicsTurbulenceOceanographyBiologyGerminationDormancyBotanySeed dormancyOceanographic and Atmospheric ProcessesGeology and Paleoclimatology ResearchGeomagnetism and Paleomagnetism Studies