Concentrated vortices are spatially localized structures with non-zero vorticity surrounded by a potential flow. These structures include a broad class of mesoscale vortices, such as dust devils, water vortices, and fire vortices, as well as larger-scale and more intense tornados. From a rather broad class of concentrated mesoscale vortices, dust devils are selected as the simplest and most easily observable structures owing to dust particles that play the role of tracers. This review aims at presenting the main results of studies of dust devils in the atmospheres of Earth and Mars. In the framework of ideal fluid dynamics, a recently proposed model is discussed which allows one to describe vortex structures that are fully localized in space. The results of numerical modeling of vortex dynamics and an analytic model of vortex generation in a convectively unstable atmosphere are briefly discussed.

Keywords: vortices, model of vortices, nonlinear structures, ideal fluid dynamics PACS: 92.10.ak, 92.60.Fm, 92.60.hk (all) DOI: 10.3367/UFNe.2019.07.038611 URL: https://ufn.ru/en/articles/2020/7/d/ 000575189200004 2-s2.0-85092530340 2020PhyU...63..683O Citation: Onishchenko O G, Pokhotelov O A, Astaf’eva N M, Horton W, Fedun V N "Structure and dynamics of concentrated mesoscale vortices in planetary atmospheres" Phys. Usp. 63 683–697 (2020) BibTexBibNote ® (generic)BibNote ® (RIS)MedlineRefWorks Received: 19th, April 2019, revised: 4th, July 2019, accepted: 11th, July 2019 Оригинал: Онищенко О Г, Похотелов О А, Астафьева Н М, Хортон В, Федун В Н «Структура и динамика концентрированных мезомасштабных вихрей в атмосферах планет» УФН 190 732–748 (2020); DOI: 10.3367/UFNr.2019.07.038611