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article · Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres · 1998

A mechanism for layer formation in stratified geophysical flows

Josep Lluís Pelegrí, Pablo Sangrà

Cited by 31Abstract and details only

Abstract

We discuss the possibility that steplike structures are formed in subcritical regions of vertically stratified shear flow. The mechanism we propose essentially consists of localized intense mixing in highly stratified and sheared flows, probably following frontogenesis. Its main assumption is that the vertical density flux increases monotonically with decreasing gradient Richardson numbers, which corresponds to enhanced stratification and/or diapycnal shear. This differs from Phillips' [1972] mechanism, which we argue may not apply to vertically stratified shear flow. An essential condition for the formation of constant density steps is the incorporation of a Langevin type equation which takes into account that turbulence must last for some finite characteristic time. We present numerical computations for the case of approximately constant diapycnal shear which lead to the formation of a staircase depth‐density structure.

Cite this paper

APA 7

Pelegrí, J. L., & Sangrà, P. (1998). A mechanism for layer formation in stratified geophysical flows. Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres, 103(C13), 30679–30693. https://doi.org/10.1029/98jc01627

MLA 9

Pelegrí, Josep Lluís, and Pablo Sangrà. “A mechanism for layer formation in stratified geophysical flows.” Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres, vol. 103, no. C13, 1998, pp. 30679–93, https://doi.org/10.1029/98jc01627.

Chicago

Pelegrí, Josep Lluís, and Pablo Sangrà. 1998. “A mechanism for layer formation in stratified geophysical flows.” Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres 103 (C13): 30679–93. https://doi.org/10.1029/98jc01627.

Harvard

Pelegrí, J.L. and Sangrà, P. (1998) ‘A mechanism for layer formation in stratified geophysical flows’, Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres, 103(C13), pp. 30679–30693. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1029/98jc01627.

BibTeX
@article{pelegri1998mechanism,
  title = {{A mechanism for layer formation in stratified geophysical flows}},
  author = {Pelegrí, Josep Lluís and Sangrà, Pablo},
  journal = {Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres},
  volume = {103},
  number = {C13},
  pages = {30679--30693},
  year = {1998},
  doi = {10.1029/98jc01627}
}

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