Laboratory study of geostrophic adjustment in a two-layer fluid in the presence of a shallow water layer

Laboratory study of geostrophic adjustment in a two-layer fluid in the presence of a shallow water layer Full article

Journal

Environmental Fluid Mechanics
ISSN: 1573-1510

Output data

Year: 2026, Volume: 26, Number: 2, Article number : 19, Pages count : 15 DOI: 10.1007/s10652-026-10082-4

Tags

Rotating fluid, baroclinic instability, continental shelf, lens

Authors

Natalia Shmakova ¹ , Nikolay Gavrilov ¹ , Semen Rybalov ² , Jean-Bastien Carrat ¹ , Alexander Chesnokov ¹ , Tian-yu Zhang ³ , Bin-bin Zhao ³ , Wen-yang Duan ³ , Evgeny Ermanyuk ¹

Affiliations

1	Lavrentyev Institute of Hydrodynamics, Ac. Lavrentieva ave., Novosibirsk, 630090, Russia
2	Novosibirsk State University, Pirogova str., Novosibirsk, 630090, Russia
3	College of Shipbuilding Engineering, Harbin Engineering University, Nantong str., Harbin, 150001, China

An experimental study of the geostrophic adjustment of an intrusion-type density perturbation in a two-layer stratified rotating fluid with sharp changes in the bottom topography is presented. The density of the initial perturbation and the background rotation speed of the fluid are varied in the experiments. In all cases, a collapse of the water column of intermediate density generates a lens of denser fluid that propagates along the interface and reaches a shallow area, where it performs a drift in the prograde (cyclonic) direction, while the fluid trapped within the lens rotates in the retrograde (anti-cyclonic) direction. The rotation speed of the fluid within the lens is measured using the particle image velocimetry (PIV) method. Depending on the experimental parameters, one, two, or three lenses form. The number of vortices, the lifetime of the lenses, and their speeds are investigated as a function of the background rotation frequency and the density of the initial perturbation. It is shown that the life time of the lens in the shallow zone varies between 200 and 500 revolutions.

Natalia Shmakova , Nikolay Gavrilov , Semen Rybalov , Jean-Bastien Carrat , Alexander Chesnokov , Tian-yu Zhang , Bin-bin Zhao , Wen-yang Duan , Evgeny Ermanyuk
Laboratory study of geostrophic adjustment in a two-layer fluid in the presence of a shallow water layer
Environmental Fluid Mechanics. 2026. V.26. N2. 19 :1-15. DOI: 10.1007/s10652-026-10082-4 WOS Scopus OpenAlex

Published online:

Mar 21, 2026

≡ Web of science:	WOS:001719872200001
≡ Scopus:	2-s2.0-105033478329
≡ OpenAlex:	W7139992095