A model for vortical plumes in rotating convection

Buoyant convection and the Coriolis force caused by the rotation of our Earth are important forces in the flows in the atmosphere and the oceans. A convenient model for such flows, although not fully compatible, is the rotating Rayleigh‐Benard setting: A horizontally infinite layer of fluid is vertically confined by solid walls rotating around a vertical axis, the bottom wall being at a higher temperature than the top wall. Although the lack of a top wall in the geophysical flows makes the model not directly applicable, the general behavior of the model flow shows considerable similarities to real flow in the atmosphere. Furthermore, in the atmosphere the tropopause can be regarded as a “top wall” to a certain extent. Especially for the large-scale flows in the atmosphere, the effect of the rotation is dominant. The Rossby number, the ratio between inertial and Coriolis forces, is rather small O0.1. A well-known theorem valid in rotation-dominated flows was formulated by Proudman 1 and experimentally proven by Taylor; 2 it is known as the Taylor‐Proudman theo