Diffusion-free scaling in rotating spherical Rayleigh-Bénard convection

Abstract

We show that in rotating spherical Rayleigh-Bénard convection, three regions with distinctly different flow dynamics are formed.• The mid-latitude region is characterized by convective columns that extend from the Northern to the Southern hemisphere of the outer sphere.• The diffusion-free scaling indicates that the flow dynamics and the heat transport originating in the mid-latitude region are bulk-dominated.