Stability of Atmospheric Jets

Atmospheric flows on rotating planets are prone to form jets that are surprisingly stable in time. This behaviour can be predicted by simulating the planet's atmosphere numerically. In certain parameter regimes, the underlying dynamical system has multiple locally stable solutions, corresponding to atmosphere configurations with different numbers of jets. This project explores the mechanisms by which random turbulent fluctuations in the atmosphere drive the system to transition between these fixed points, effectively creating or destroying atmospheric jets in the process.