Eddy-driven Zonal Jet Flows in the Laboratory

Zonal jets are a ubiquitous feature of the circulation of planetary atmospheres, oceans and interiors. Many of the dynamical mechanisms that lead to the formation and evolution of such jets can be reproduced and studied in laboratory experiments, which have proved to be important sources of insight for understanding the nature of planetary jets. Here we introduce some of the key concepts underlying the production and maintenance of patterns of zonal jets in rotating and/or stratified flows. We then review a broad range of laboratory experiments that have helped to test and verify many of the dynamical mechanisms proposed to interpret geophysical jets involving the interaction of eddies and zonal flows. Laboratory experiments continue to have an important role to play in elucidating a quantitative understanding of zonal jets and their interactions with other aspects of planetary circulation systems.