In this talk, I will discuss the theoretical prediction of decoupling between the columnar vortices
and the inertial waves predicted for solutions to the Navier-Stokes equations in a rotating frame at
the limit of infinite rotation.
Using a statistical mechanics analysis complemented by numerical simulations, we examine the
limit of large but finite rotation rate. We find that the decoupling is valid until a threshold time
measured to be t* = 2/Ro2 , where Ro is the Rossby number Ro = U/L2, U is the characteristic
velocity, L is the characteristic length scale, and is the Coriolis parameter. Beyond t* the
asymptotic decoupling regime is no longer valid, but an interesting coupled dynamics t* is observed,
where the quasi-invariants of the decoupled model continue to constrain the system on the short
timescales.