Vortex breakdown

From Glossary of Meteorology



vortex breakdown

The region of a vortex between a supercritical upstream flow incapable of supporting upstream-propagating centrifugal waves and a subcritical flow that allows downstream- propagating centrifugal waves.

The region is usually marked by abrupt swelling and often turbulence and reverse axial flow in the downstream side. Vortex breakdown is sometimes observed in tornadoes.
See hydraulic jump.


Retrieved from "https://glossarystaging.ametsoc.net/w/index.php?title=Vortex_breakdown&oldid=2955"
Powered by MediaWiki
Powered by WikiTeq
Powered by Semantic MediaWiki
Copyright 2024 American Meteorological Society (AMS). For permission to reuse any portion of this work, please contact permissions@ametsoc.org. Any use of material in this work that is determined to be “fair use” under Section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Act (17 U.S. Code § 107) or that satisfies the conditions specified in Section 108 of the U.S.Copyright Act (17 USC § 108) does not require AMS’s permission. Republication, systematic reproduction, posting in electronic form, such as on a website or in a searchable database, or other uses of this material, except as exempted by the above statement, require written permission or a license from AMS. Additional details are provided in the AMS Copyright Policy statement.