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Potential vorticity combines fluid rotation with stretching and stratification. For an inviscid barotropic shallow-water layer,where $\zeta$ is relative vorticity and $h$ is layer thickness.

The spatial gradient of potential vorticity controls the anomaly created when a parcel is displaced. The linear potential-vorticity equation contains ${\mathbf{u}}^{\prime }\cdot \nabla \bar{q}$. A gradient of the Coriolis parameter contributes planetary vorticity, but gradients of relative vorticity and layer stretching can be equally important.

Differentiating the Stokeslet gives its rate-of-strain tensor and vorticity, displayed above for $r=|\mathbf{x}|>0$. The pressure is $p=\mathbf{F}\cdot \mathbf{x}/(4\pi r^3)$. Integrating the Newtonian fluid stress tensor over a sphere enclosing the origin gives traction resultant $-\mathbf{F}$, fixing the point-force normalization.

For stress-free impermeable fixed-temperature plates, thermal-time growth rate $s$, horizontal wavenumber $k$ and vertical index $n$, put $a=k^2+n^2{\pi }^2$ and $P=\mathrm{Pr}$. Vertical velocity, temperature and vertical vorticity amplitudes satisfy $a(s/P+a)W+\sqrt{\mathrm{Ta}}n\pi Z=R{k}^2\Theta$, $(s/P+a)Z=\sqrt{\mathrm{Ta}}n\pi W$, $(s+a)\Theta =W$. Taking their determinant givesThis is a cubic and remains valid without dividing by a potentially zero factor. Setting $s=0$ or $s=i\omega$ determines the stationary or admissible oscillatory neutral curves.

A thermally driven fluid layer rotating about the vertical axis experiences a Coriolis force that couples vertical velocity to vertical vorticity. Its onset depends on the Rayleigh number, Prandtl number and Taylor number, as well as thermal and mechanical boundary conditions. The force does no mechanical work, but changes the linear mode balance and nonlinear convection roll competition.

The Squire equation governs wall-normal vorticity $\eta ={\partial }_{z}u-{\partial }_{x}w$ in the same normal mode convention as the Orr-Sommerfeld equation. It follows by taking ${\partial }_z$ of the streamwise momentum equation minus ${\partial }_x$ of the spanwise momentum equation. At a rigid no-slip wall, $\hat{\eta }=0$.

A Squire mode has zero wall-normal velocity and nonzero wall-normal vorticity, satisfying the homogeneous Squire equation. For real base velocity, positive finite Reynolds number, and zero boundary terms,for a nontrivial mode in a finite channel with no-slip walls. This follows by multiplying the homogeneous equation by $\overline{\eta }$, integrating by parts and taking the real part. Such modes are damped even when the coupled velocity-vorticity system can exhibit transient growth from non-normal modes.

For a two-mode tensorial squirmer flow of radius $a$ and a passive equal sphere held at $X=Re$, with $a/R\ll 1$, let $s=e\cdot Be$. Faxén's first law gives holding force $F_h=-9\pi \mu a^{3}se/R^2+O(\mu a^4|A|/R^3+\mu a^5\Vert B\Vert /R^4)$. Its reflected Stokeslet changes swimming velocity by $-9a^{3}se/(4R^3)$. Since this leading force is radial, its vorticity at the swimmer vanishes. The next holding force, generated by the potential dipole, yields rotation $a^{4}A\times X/(4R^6)$. Terms from the passive sphere's finite radius, reflected stresslet and rotlet are needed at higher order. These formulas assume fixed slip and no externally applied swimmer force or torque.

For a forced sphere and a distant equal force-free, torque-free sphere, the leading incident Stokeslet strain is proportional to $(\mathbf{U}\cdot \mathbf{n})(I-3\mathbf{nn})$. Its reflected stresslet is axisymmetric about the line of centers and has zero vorticity on that line. The nominal fifth-order self-spin coefficient therefore vanishes. Finite-size incident-strain corrections and higher force-free scattering multipoles first supply a generic seventh-order angular velocity. Purely longitudinal forcing has zero spin exactly by axial symmetry. The leading translation correction is fourth order for a generic orientation, but sixth order for purely transverse forcing. These cancellations matter when using the method of reflections for Stokes flow to infer orders from far-field decay alone.

For an axial rotlet dipole parallel to a flat free surface, its reflected image gives the displayed normal vorticity at height $h$. A spherical torque-free body responds with angular velocity ${\omega }_z/2$ and an elongated body also responds to strain. At constant height, self-propulsion plus yaw gives a circular path; the signed moment sets its handedness.

This three-layer shear flow has $U=\Delta Uz/h$ and density ${\rho }_0$ between $z=\pm h/2$. Above and below, the velocity is the corresponding constant $\pm \Delta U/2$, and the mass density is ${\rho }_0\mp \Delta \rho /2$. The density drops and vorticity jumps coincide at both interfaces. Its hydrodynamic stability involves coupled gravity-vorticity interface waves, unlike a profile with uniform shear extending through all three layers.

For equal-depth layers coupled by an interface,The Laplacian terms are relative vorticity; the streamfunction differences encode opposite layer-thickness changes. Each material derivative follows that layer's own velocity. The sum has a barotropic mode without interface displacement, while the difference contains a baroclinic mode.

For a uniform normalized upper-layer wind stress curl $W$ and no lower-layer forcing, a uniform local Sverdrup balance isThe upper layer flows meridionally and the lower layer rests. Although the relative vorticity vanishes, the potential vorticity has the zonal gradients ${\bar{q}}_{1,x}=-FV$, ${\bar{q}}_{2,x}=FV$. These are essential for the perturbation stability and do not vanish merely because the background velocity is uniform.

Circular streamlines and constant vorticity imply $u_{\varphi }=\omega r/2+C/r$. Zero velocity at $2a$ and positive azimuthal velocity $V$ at $a$ giveThe radial Euler equations for an inviscid fluid give $p_r=\rho u_{\varphi }^2/r$, yielding outer-minus-inner pressure $(15-16\log 2)\rho V^2/18$. The pressure difference is independent of circulation orientation.

For differentiable vector fields, the displayed identity relates vorticity to the antisymmetric part of the velocity gradient. Together with the curl of a cross product, it converts the adjoint linearized Navier-Stokes evolution between component and rotational forms.

Across a jump of $U^{\prime }$ in a constant-density parallel flow with continuous $U$, the normal mode vertical velocity and pressure are continuous. The linearized momentum equation gives $\hat{p}=\rho [(U-c){\hat{w}}^{\prime }-U^{\prime }\hat{w}]/(ik)$, yielding the displayed conditions. Equivalently, away from $U=c$, $(U-c)[{\hat{w}}^{\prime }]=[U^{\prime }]\hat{w}$. Derivative continuity is generally incorrect when the background vorticity jumps. This is the constant-density, continuous-velocity specialization of jump conditions for stratified inviscid shear flow.