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    Quasi Balanced-Lecture 16

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    ANDHIKA NUGROHO
    Rossby waves are important waves that transmit information through rotating fluids like atmospheres and oceans. There are two types: [1] Barotropic Rossby waves on a sphere propagate westward with a phase speed that depends on latitude. They have solutions that are associated Legendre functions with a frequency that depends on the wavenumber and order. [2] Quasi-geostrophic Rossby waves exist in three dimensions and are examined next in the document.

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    Quasi Balanced-Lecture 16

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    ANDHIKA NUGROHO
    19 views4 pages
    Rossby waves are important waves that transmit information through rotating fluids like atmospheres and oceans. There are two types: [1] Barotropic Rossby waves on a sphere propagate westward with a phase speed that depends on latitude. They have solutions that are associated Legendre functions with a frequency that depends on the wavenumber and order. [2] Quasi-geostrophic Rossby waves exist in three dimensions and are examined next in the document.

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    Rossby waves are important waves that transmit information through rotating fluids like atmospheres and oceans. There are two types: [1] Barotropic Rossby waves on a sphere propagate westward with a phase speed that depends on latitude. They have solutions that are associated Legendre functions with a frequency that depends on the wavenumber and order. [2] Quasi-geostrophic Rossby waves exist in three dimensions and are examined next in the document.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    19 views4 pages

    Quasi Balanced-Lecture 16

    Uploaded by

    ANDHIKA NUGROHO
    Rossby waves are important waves that transmit information through rotating fluids like atmospheres and oceans. There are two types: [1] Barotropic Rossby waves on a sphere propagate westward with a phase speed that depends on latitude. They have solutions that are associated Legendre functions with a frequency that depends on the wavenumber and order. [2] Quasi-geostrophic Rossby waves exist in three dimensions and are examined next in the document.

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    16.

    Rossby waves

    We have seen that the existence of potential vorticity gradients supports the prop-

    agation of a special class of waves known as Rossby waves. These waves are the

    principal means by which information is transmitted through quasi-balanced flows

    and it is therefore fitting to examine their properties in greater depth. We begin by

    looking at the classical problem of barotropic Rossby wave propagation on a sphere

    and continue with quasi-geostrophic Rossby waves in three dimensions.

    a. Barotropic Rossby waves on a sphere

    The vorticity equation for barotropic disturbances to fluid at rest on a rotating

    sphere is
    dη
    = 0, (16.1)
    dt

    where

    η ≡ 2Ω sin ϕ + ζ.

    Here ζ is the relative vorticity in the z direction. Now the equation of mass conti-

    nuity for two-dimensional motion on a sphere may be written


    ! "
    1 ∂u ∂
    + (v cos ϕ) = 0, (16.2)
    a ∂λ ∂ϕ

    71
    where u and v are the eastward and northward velocity components, λ and ϕ are

    longitude and latitude, and a is the (mean) radius of the earth. Using (16.2) we

    may define a velocity streamfunction ψ such that

    1 ∂ψ
    u=− ,
    a ∂ϕ

    and (16.3)

    1 ∂ψ
    v= .
    a cos ϕ ∂λ

    The Eulerian expansion of (16.1) can be written

    ∂η u ∂η v ∂η
    + + = 0,
    ∂t a cos ϕ ∂λ a ∂ϕ

    or using (16.3),
    ! "
    ∂η 1 ∂ψ ∂η ∂ψ ∂η
    + 2 − = 0. (16.4)
    ∂t a cos ϕ ∂λ ∂ϕ ∂ϕ ∂λ

    We next linearize (16.4) about the resting state (u = v = 0), for which η = 2Ω sin ϕ,

    giving
    ∂η ! 2Ω ∂ψ !
    + 2 = 0, (16.5)
    ∂t a ∂λ

    where the primes denote departures from the basic state.

    72
    In spherical coordinates,

    η ! = ζ ! = k̂ · ∇ × V!
    ! 2 ! # $" (16.6)
    1 ∂ ψ ∂ ∂ψ !
    = 2 + cos ϕ cos ϕ .
    a cos2 ϕ ∂λ2 ∂ϕ ∂ϕ
    Let’s look for modal solutions of the form

    ψ ! = Ψ(ϕ)eim(λ−σt) ,

    where m is the zonal wavenumber and σ is an angular phase speed. Using this and

    (16.6) in (16.5) gives


    ! "
    d2 Ψ dΨ 2Ω m2
    − tan ϕ − + Ψ = 0. (16.7)
    dϕ2 dϕ σ cos2 ϕ

    This can be transformed into canonical form by transforming the independent vari-

    able using

    µ ≡ sin ϕ,

    yielding
    ! "
    d2 Ψ dΨ 2Ω m2
    (1 − µ ) 2 − 2µ
    2
    − + Ψ = 0. (16.8)
    dµ dµ σ 1 − µ2

    The only solutions of (16.8) that are bounded at the poles (µ = ±1) have the form

    Ψ = APm
    n
    , (16.9)

    73
    Table 16.1. Meridional Structure of Pm
    n
    (ϕ) Rossby Waves on a Sphere
    m

    0 1 2 3

    1 sin ϕ cos ϕ – –

    n 2 1
    2
    (3 sin2 ϕ − 1) −3 sin ϕ cos ϕ 3 cos2 ϕ –

    3 3
    2
    sin ϕ(5 sin2 ϕ − 3) − 92 (5 sin2 ϕ − 1) cos ϕ 45 sin ϕ cos3 ϕ −45 cos3 ϕ

    where Pm
    n
    is an associated Legendre function of degree n and order m, with n > m.

    The angular frequency must satisfy

    −2Ω
    σ= . (16.10)
    n(n + 1)

    As in the case of barotropic Rossby waves in a fluid at rest on a β plane, spherical

    Rossby waves propagate westward. Their zonal phase speed is given by

    cos ϕ
    c = a cos ϕσ = −2Ωa . (16.11)
    n(n + 1)

    The first few associated Legendre functions are given in Table 16.1. The lowest order

    modes, for which m = 0, are zonally symmetric and have zero frequency. These

    are just east-west flows that do not perturb the background vorticity gradient and

    thus are not oscillatory. The lowest order wave mode, for which n = m = 1, has an

    angular frequency of −Ω and is therefore stationary relative to absolute space. This

    zonal wavenumber 1 mode has maximum amplitude on the equator and decays

    as cos ϕ toward the poles. Modes of greater values of n have increasingly fine

    meridional structure.

    74

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