Numerical study of the primitive equations in the small viscosity regime

Abstract

In this paper we study the flow dynamics governed by the primitive equations in the small viscosity regime. We consider an initial setup consisting on two dipolar structures interacting with a no slip boundary at the bottom of the domain. The generated boundary layer is analyzed in terms of the complex singularities of the horizontal pressure gradient and of the vorticity generated at the boundary. The presence of complex singularities is correlated with the appearance of secondary recirculation regions. Two viscosity regimes, with different qualitative properties, can be distinguished in the flow dynamics.