vorticity-transport hypothesis

The hypothesis that vorticity, and not momentum, is conservative in turbulent eddy flux due to the existence of pressure fluctuations. This would apply especially if the turbulence were strictly two-dimensional. This hypothesis, together with that of the mixing length, leads to an expression for the variation of the shearing stress τ with height,

ams2001glos-Ve24

where K is the coefficient of eddy viscosity, and ams2001glos-Vex04 the mean horizontal wind.