Geostrophic Turbulence in a Rotating Annulus of Fluid

Abstract Energy spectra and cross-correlation coefficients of baroclinic waves in a rotating annulus of fluid are investigated for a wide range of nondimensional parameters. The number of temperature probes was reduced to minimize the disturbances at the probe origins. The energy spectra obey a −3 power law in frequency over the inertial range. In the parameter range of the present experiment, Taylor's “frozen turbulence” hypothesis holds approximately, and frequency is readily converted to wavenumber. The energy spectra are approximately proportional to k−3 as is predicted by two-dimensional turbulence theory. The systematic changes in the cross-correlation coefficients about various flow regimes are also discussed.