Laboratory investigation of the mechanism of the periodic eddy formation behind capes in a coastal sea

The observations carried out in the Caucasian sector of the Black Sea have shown that, under certain conditions, the Rim Current detaches from the coast behind Cape Idocopas. In these cases, an anticyclonic eddy is formed between the detached Rim Current and the coast. Sometimes, the eddy grows in size until it is captured by the flow and goes downstream. After that, a next eddy is formed nearly at the same place, etc. The conditions of the periodic eddy formation behind a cape are revealed by means of laboratory modeling. The laboratory results are compared with the data of field observations in the Black Sea.