Filamentation near monotone zonal vortex caps

Abstract

We study the Euler equations on a rotating unit sphere, focusing on the dynamics of vortex caps. Leveraging the $L^1$-stability of monotone, longitude-independent profiles, we demonstrate that certain ill-prepared initial data within the vortex cap class exhibit an instability characterized by the growth of the interface perimeter. These configurations are nearly equivalent in area to a zonal vortex cap but are perturbed by a localized latitudinal bump. By comparing the longitudinal flows at points along the zonal interface and within the bump region, we track the induced stretching and capture the underlying instability mechanism.