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On time‐evolution of a balanced circular vortex
Author(s) -
Kurgansky M. V.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
quarterly journal of the royal meteorological society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.744
H-Index - 143
eISSN - 1477-870X
pISSN - 0035-9009
DOI - 10.1002/qj.512
Subject(s) - vortex , diabatic , tornado , secondary circulation , physics , circulation (fluid dynamics) , tropical cyclone , mechanics , vortex ring , vortex stretching , meteorology , adiabatic process , thermodynamics
A simplified version of Eliassen's cyclostrophically and hydrostatically balanced circular vortex is considered, when the relative distribution of the tangential velocity is the same across the vortex at all altitudes (the similarity assumption). This vortex model mimics the high‐wind core of an intense tropical cyclone and might also be applicable to major tornadoes and to Martian giant dust devils. A self‐consistent problem is analytically solved to specify a slow time evolution of the primary and the secondary circulation in the vortex under the influence of the diabatic heating and the surface friction. The results show that a self‐similar balanced warm‐core vortex can either be stationary or decay (algebraically) in time, the latter for a vortex flow with incomplete similarity of the velocity field when the characteristics of the primary and the secondary circulation are scaled with height differently. Possible applications to the axisymmetric spin‐down dynamics of tropical cyclones are briefly discussed. Copyright © 2009 Royal Meteorological Society