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On the topographic rectification of ocean fluctuations

Alvarez, Alberto; Hernandez-Garcia, Emilio; Tintore, Joaquin
Instabilities and Nonequilibrium Structures VII & VIII, edited by Orazio Descalzi, Javier Martínez, and Enrique Tirapegui , Kluwer academic publishers, Dordrecht 133-139 (2004)

Stochastic fluctuations acting on a model of quasigeostrophic fluid motion on a rotating frame are shown to be rectified giving rise to large-scale noise-sustained average currents. As in other noise rectification phenomena, the effect requires nonlinearity and absence of detailed balance to occur. We apply an analytical coarse-graining procedure to obtain insight into the phenomenon. Relevance of the effect in the context of ocean modeling is briefly discussed.