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The sandpaper theory of flow–topography interaction for multilayer shallow-water systems

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 July 2024

Timour Radko Open the ORCID record for Timour Radko [Opens in a new window]
Timour Radko*
Affiliation:
Department of Oceanography, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, CA 93943, USA
*
†Email address for correspondence: tradko@nps.edu
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Abstract

Seafloor roughness profoundly influences the pattern and dynamics of large-scale oceanic flows. However, these kilometre-scale topographic patterns are unresolved by global numerical Earth system models and will remain subgrid for the foreseeable future. To properly represent the effects of small-scale bathymetry in analytical and coarse-resolution numerical models, we develop the stratified ‘sandpaper’ theory of flow–topography interaction. This model, which is based on the multilayer shallow-water framework, extends its barotropic antecedent to stratified flows. The proposed theory is successfully tested on the configuration representing the interaction of a zonal current with a corrugated cross-flow ridge.

JFM classification

Geophysical and Geological Flows: Ocean circulation Geophysical and Geological Flows: Topographic effects
Type
JFM Papers
Information
Journal of Fluid Mechanics , Volume 988 , 10 June 2024 , A52
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press

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