From molecules to meteorology via turbulent scale invariance

This review attempts to interpret the generalized scale invariance observed in common atmospheric variables—wind, temperature, humidity, ozone and some trace species—in terms of the computed emergence of ring currents (vortices) in simulations of populations of Maxwellian molecules subject to an ani...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Quarterly journal of the Royal Meteorological Society 2010-07, Vol.136 (650), p.1125-1144
Main Author: Tuck, A. F.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aerodynamics
Atmospheric chemistry
Computational fluid dynamics
Earth, ocean, space
Entropy
Exact sciences and technology
External geophysics
humidity
jet streams
Maximization
Meteorology
molecular dynamics
ozone
Physics of the high neutral atmosphere
Research aircraft
ring currents
Scale invariance
statistical multifractals
Temperature
Turbulence
winds
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Summary:This review attempts to interpret the generalized scale invariance observed in common atmospheric variables—wind, temperature, humidity, ozone and some trace species—in terms of the computed emergence of ring currents (vortices) in simulations of populations of Maxwellian molecules subject to an anisotropy in the form of a flux. The data are taken from ‘horizontal’ tracks of research aircraft and from ‘vertical’ trajectories of research dropsondes. It is argued that any attempt to represent the energy distribution in the atmosphere quantitatively must have a proper basis in molecular physics, a prerequisite to accommodate the observed long‐tailed velocity probability distributions and the implied effects on radiative transfer, atmospheric chemistry, turbulent structure and the definition of temperature itself. The relationship between fluctuations and dissipation is discussed in a framework of non‐equilibrium statistical mechanics, and a link between maximization of entropy production and scale invariance is hypothesized. Copyright © 2010 Royal Meteorological Society
ISSN:0035-9009
1477-870X
1477-870X
DOI:10.1002/qj.644