Large-scale dynamics of equatorial thermal spots

Abstract

For a model of a thin spherical layer of an incompressible rotating fluid subjected to the action of Coriolis and buoyancy forces, both analytical solutions in the form of stationary thermal spots moving along the equator and self-similar solutions are found. The influence of the parameters determining the shape of the spots on their propagation speed and direction is studied. It is found that the speed and direction of motion of the spots depend not only on the sign of their thermal contrast with the background flow, but also on the ratio of the semi-axes determining their shape. In particular, if the ratio of the equatorial semi-axis to the meridional one $b/a$ is equal to $π/2$, the spots are at rest. If the spots are elongated along the equatorial axis to such an extent that $b/a>π/2$, then ``cold'' spots move westward and ``hot'' spots move eastward. Under the condition $0.747\leq b/a<π/2$, the situation is reversed: ``hot'' spots move westward and ``cold'' spots move eastward. Self-similar solutions in the model are realized strictly in the form of circular thermal spots, and their radius varies according to a power law with a scaling exponent $k$, which is determined by the behavior of the cross-frontal buoyancy gradient on the spot contour. We note that the regime $k=1/4$ is realized under the assumption of a constant buoyancy gradient, while the regime $k=1/6$ corresponds to the conservation of total buoyancy.