Passive Tracer Transport in a Nonstationary Four-Vortex
Hydrodynamic System

S. D. Danilov, V. A. Dovzhenko, O. I. Karpilova, and I. G. Yakushkin

Oboukhov Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Pyzhevskii per. 3, Moscow, 109017 Russia
E-mail: danilov@omega.ifaran.ru

Received January 10, 1999; in final form, March 30, 1999

Abstract—Passive tracer transport processes in a four-vortex quasi-two-dimensional flow that are due to reg-
ular reconnections occurring between streamlines of the same sign after the stationary flow loses its stability
are studied experimentally. These processes are characterized by a relatively rapid mixing between vortices of
the same vorticity sign and a slow mixing between regions differing in vorticity sign, which can be interpreted
in the context of the theory of adiabatic chaos. Typical trajectories of Lagrangian particles are classified. The
laboratory experimental data are compared to numerical results obtained by integrating trajectories of
Lagrangian particles in the flow field measured previously in detail. A qualitative agreement between experi-
ment and theory is observed; however, a strong discrepancy between them is revealed. The randomization of
particle trajectories in the laboratory experiment proceeds significantly more slowly, which testifies to trajec-
tory ordering due to the small-scale structure of the flow field.

Pleiades Publishing home page | journal home page | top

If you have any problems with this server, contact webmaster.