Comparative analysis of the first baroclinic Rossby radius in the Baltic, Black, Okhotsk, and Mediterranean seas

Abstract

Variability of the first baroclinic Rossby radius of deformation, LR, in the Baltic, Black, Okhotsk, and Mediterranean seas is investigated. The first baroclinic Rossby radius is the ratio of the speed of propagation of long linear internal waves of the lowest mode and the Coriolis parameter. The data from the GDEM V.3.0 climatology for the considered regions are used for calculating internal wave dynamic parameters including wave speed. The seasonal and spatial variability of the baroclinic Rossby radius is discussed in detail. Its magnitudes in the open basins do not exceed 10 km in the Baltic Sea, 20 km in the Black Sea, 18 km in the deep part of the Okhotsk Sea, and 15-18 km in the Mediterranean Sea. Its values decrease 2-5 times in the shelf zones of the seas. Seasonal differences of the baroclinic Rossby radius are studied. The knowledge of the baroclinic Rossby radius makes possible estimating the influence of the Earth's rotation on the internal wave propagation.