Parameterization of dispersion in two-dimensional turbulence

We investigate the performance of standard stochastic models of single-particle dispersion in two-dimensional turbulence. Owing to the presence of coherent vortices, particle dispersion in two-dimensional turbulence is characterized by a non-Gaussian velocity distribution and a non-exponential velocity autocorrelation, and it cannot be properly captured by either linear or nonlinear stochastic models with a single component process. Based on physical and dynamical considerations, we introduce a family of two-process stochastic models that provide a better parameterization of turbulent dispersion in rotating barotropic flows.