Self-similar collapse of three geophysical vortices
Abstract
The self-similar collapse of three vortices is the motion of three vortices colliding at a single point at finite time. Such a motion has first been shown to exist for two-dimensional, planar, point vortices. In this paper, we show that the concept generalises naturally to three-dimensional quasi-geostrophic vortices as well as to surface quasi-geostrophic vortices. We first determine the conditions that lead to the collapse for these singular vortices. We then show how these conditions precipitate the merger of finite core vortices both in a three-dimensional quasi-geostrophic flow and in a surface quasi-geostrophic flow.
Citation
Reinaud , J N 2021 , ' Self-similar collapse of three geophysical vortices ' , Geophysical and Astrophysical Fluid Dynamics , vol. 115 , no. 4 , pp. 369-392 . https://doi.org/10.1080/03091929.2020.1828402
Publication
Geophysical and Astrophysical Fluid Dynamics
Status
Peer reviewed
ISSN
0309-1929Type
Journal article
Collections
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