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| 2003-2004 Fluids Seminar Page |
Abstract-
The atmosphere contains both slow (or "balanced") vortical
flows and fast (or "unbalanced") wave motion (mainly
inertia-gravity waves). Some recent results concerning the
degree of interaction of these two dynamical components ---
which is surprisingly weak --- will be presented. This
addresses the question of the stability of the slow manifold.
When one considers the mixing of chemical species in the
atmosphere, the contrast between the effects of the two
components is quite striking. In the stratosphere, the
balanced motion dominates and leads to large-scale stirring
(as in the so-called "surf zone"). In the mesosphere, the
unbalanced motion dominates and leads to more of a
scale-dependent diffusive regime. This picture is
illustrated and quantified.
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