Modon solutions in an N-layer quasi-geostrophic model

Abstract

Modons, or dipolar vortices, are common and long-lived features of the upper ocean, consisting of a pair of monopolar vortices moving through self-advection. Such structures remain stable over long times and may be important for fluid transport over large distances. Here we present a semi-analytical method for finding fully nonlinear modon solutions in a multi-layer quasi-geostrophic model with arbitrarily many layers. Our approach works by reducing the problem to a multi-parameter linear eigenvalue problem which can be solved using numerical techniques from linear algebra. The method is shown to replicate previous results for one and two-layer models and is applied to a three-layer model to find a solution describing a mid-depth propagating, topographic vortex.