Linear and nonlinear barotropic decay on the sphere.

I. M. Held, P. J. Phillips

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Abstract

An example of the barotropic decay of a wavelike midlatitude disturbance in the presence of a shear flow on the sphere is examined. The linear theory for the evolution of the disturbance is first described, with emphasis on the importance of the pseudomomentum spectrum for the resulting drag on the mean flow. After a brief discussion of the ways in which this linear theory can break down, a high-resolution nonlinear numerical model is used to examine the dependence of the mean-flow modification and the qualitative character of the decay on the amplitude of the initial disturbance. -Authors

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)200-207
Number of pages8
JournalJournal of the Atmospheric Sciences
Volume44
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 1987
Externally publishedYes

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Atmospheric Science

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