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Which energy cascade property favours block formation?

  • A.Molecular dissipation
  • B.The rapid removal of energy by friction acting within the planetary boundary layer beneath the block
  • C.The inverse cascade of energy to larger scales
  • D.The forward cascade of enstrophy towards the smallest resolved scales of the numerical model used

Answer: C

Quasi-geostrophic turbulence conserves both energy and enstrophy, which forces energy towards larger scales, and the accumulation of energy at planetary scale can organise into a persistent block. The enstrophy cascade runs the other way and ends in dissipation. Friction removes energy rather than concentrating it, and molecular effects are negligible at these scales. The shared properties explain why these belong to one family, and the differences explain why more than one exists.

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