Cyclonic Motion and Structure in Rotating Tank: Experiment and Theoretical Analysis

Theoretical analysis and a laboratory experiment were carried out to validate a gradient wind balance (GWB) vortex model by simulating hurricane-like cyclonic motion in a rotating tank with a gently sloping bottom. The analysis clarified the effects of the motion on the conservation of potential vorticity of shallow water. The effects include the topography of the sloping bottom, vortex depression, and parabolic-free-surface deformation. The velocity distribution of the vortex was identified by measuring the vortex depression with a vertical laser light sheet and fitting it with the GWB model. The result provides a clear view of the entire vortex structure to understand vortices with large Rossby numbers in geophysical flows.