An experimental study of wave dispersion in a differentially heated rotating fluid annulus with a radially sloping bottom

Abstract

Baroclinic waves in a rotating fluid annulus with a downward sloping bottom in the radial direction and with a free upper surface have been studied experimentally. Dispersive wave flows due to the effect of the depth variation (the topographic β-effect) have been observed and analyzed with special attention to the interactions among the wave components. The internal structure, the upper transition, the drift angular speed and the radial heat transport, are compared with those in our previous experiments with a horizontal bottom. The similarity between the wave packet formed in the dispersive wave flow, and the wave packets in the mid- and upper troposphere, is also mentioned.