Inertia-gravity waves in geophysical vortices

Abstract

Pancake-like vortices are often generated by turbulence in geophysical flows. Here, we study the inertia-gravity oscillations that can exist within such geophysical vortices, due to the combined action of rotation and gravity. We consider a fluid enclosed within a triaxial ellipsoid, which is stratified in density with a constant Brunt–Väisälä frequency (using the Boussinesq approximation) and uniformly rotating along a (possibly) tilted axis with respect to gravity. The wave problem is then governed by a mixed hyperbolic-elliptic equation for the velocity. As in the rotating non-stratified case considered by Vantieghem (2014, Proc. R. Soc. A, 470, 20140093. (doi:10.1098/rspa.2014.0093)), we find that the spectrum is pure point in ellipsoids (i.e. only consists of eigenvalues) with polynomial eigenvectors. Then, we characterize the spectrum using numerical computations (obtained with a bespoke Galerkin method) and asymptotic spectral theory. Finally, the results are discussed in light of natural applications (e.g. for Mediterranean eddies or Jupiter’s vortices).