Noise-induced flow in quasigeostrophic turbulence with bottom friction
by
Alberto Alvarez, Emilio Hernandez-Garcia, and Joaquin Tintore

Abstract:

Randomly-forced fluid flow in the presence of scale-unselective
dissipation  develops mean currents following topographic
contours. Known mechanisms based on the scale-selective action of
damping processes are not at work in this situation.
Coarse-graining reveals that the phenomenon is a kind of
noise-rectification mechanism, in which lack of detailed balance
and the symmetry-breaking provided by topography
play an important role.