Effect of the vertical component of diffusion on passive scalar transport in an isolated vortex model.

On the basis of the ellipsoidal vortex model and a Monte-Carlo-type diffusion simulation, we examine the flux and ensuing distribution of passive fluid particles through the boundary of an idealized geophysical vortex. Our focus is on features that the horizontal and vertical diffusion components introduce into the fluid particle transport. We examine the concurrent effect of both components, and we compare it with the only horizontal diffusion impact.

Global chaotization of fluid particle trajectories in a sheared two-layer two-vortex flow.

In a two-layer quasi-geostrophic approximation, we study the irregular dynamics of fluid particles arising due to two interacting point vortices embedded in a deformation flow consisting of shear and rotational components. The two vortices are arranged within the bottom layer, but an emphasis is on the upper-layer fluid particle motion. Vortices moving in one layer induce stirring of passive scalars in the other layer.