Cyclonic-anticyclonic asymmetry and a new soliton concept for rossby vortices in the laboratory, oceans and the atmospheres of giant planets

It is demonstrated in laboratory experiments with rotating shallow water that large scale Rossby vortices, greater than the Rossby-Obukhov radius in size, have dispersive and non-linear properties that are fundamentally different for the two possible polarities. We call this “cyclonic-anticyclonic asymmetry”. This asymmetry manifests itself in the following way: first, anticylones, unlike cyclones, do not undergo the dispersive spreading inherent in a linear wave packet. and therefore, having a considerably longer natural lifetime, are obvious candidates for Rossby solitons; second, dipolar vortices are, because of the comparatively rapid decay of a cyclone, transformed into anticyclonic solitons; third, anticyclones are much more readily generated by zonal flows of the type existing in planetary atmospheres. The evident dominance of anticyclones amongst the long-lived vortices in the atmospheres of giant planets strongly suggests that the cyclonic-anticyclonic symmetry plays a decisive role in the atmospheric cyclogenesis of large planets. According to our concept, the Rossby soliton is a “real” vortex; unlike a wave, it retains some fluid particles within it throughout its lifetime. Two similar solitons can merge by mutual collisions. This picture of a “vortical” soliton differs in an essential way from the earlier idea due to Maxworthy and Redekopp (1976) of purely “wave-like” Rossby solitons that can freely pass through one another. Laboratory experiments were performed by us to simulate the new Rossby solition, with special reference to naturally-occurring vortices of the same general type as Jupiter's great red spot. The experimental data presented contradict the idea of “pure wave solitons” but confirm our concept of “vortical solutions”.