Barotropic and Baroclinic Basin-Scale Wave Dynamics Affected by the Rotation of the Earth

Abstract

We have already given a detailed description of rotation affected external and internal waves in idealized containers of constant depth: straight channels, gulfs, rectangles and circular and elliptical cylinders. Pure Kelvin and Poincaré waves were shown to describe the oscillating motion in straight channels and their combination yielded the solution of the reflection of the rotation affected waves at the end wall of a rectangular gulf. The typical characterizations of Kelvin and Poincaré waves were seen to prevail (with some modification) in the fluid motion of rotating circular and elliptical cylinders with constant depth. The behaviour was termed Kelvin-type if for basin-scale dynamics the amplitudes of the surface and isopycnal displacements and velocities are shore-bound (i.e. large close to the boundaries and smaller in the interior of the basin), the motion cyclonic (that is counter-clockwise on the N.H.) and frequencies sub- or (less often) superinertial. Alternatively, for Poincaré-type behaviour, the surface and isopycnal displacements and velocities have large amplitudes in off-shore regions, their motion is anti-cyclonic and frequencies are strictly superinertial.