Scale-invariant singularity of the surface quasigeostrophic patch

Abstract

Numerical simulations of the surface quasigeostrophic patch indicate the development of a scale-invariant singularity of the boundary curvature in finite time, with some evidence of universality across a variety of initial conditions. At the time of singularity, boundary segments are shown to possess an exact and simple analytic form, described by branches of a logarithmic spiral centred on the point of singularity. The angles between the branches depend non-trivially on the shape of the smooth connecting boundary as the singularity is approached, but are independent of the global boundary.