Planetary waves in a polar ocean ...

The dynamics of the Arctic ocean are studied on a polar projection of the sphere. The density structure is idealized as a two-layer system, and a general formulation is developed which allows inclusion of latitudinal and longitudinal depth variations as well as asymmetries in the boundaries of the o...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: LeBlond, Paul Henri
Format: Text
Language:English
Published: University of British Columbia 2011
Subjects:
Online Access:https://dx.doi.org/10.14288/1.0085826
https://doi.library.ubc.ca/10.14288/1.0085826
Description
Summary:The dynamics of the Arctic ocean are studied on a polar projection of the sphere. The density structure is idealized as a two-layer system, and a general formulation is developed which allows inclusion of latitudinal and longitudinal depth variations as well as asymmetries in the boundaries of the ocean. For simplicity, the density structure is neglected when depth variations are present. Time dependent displacements from equilibrium levels are assumed to be waves of constant zonal wave number; no radial propagation is considered. Amplitude equations are derived for these displacements, subject to the assumption that the polar basin is small enough to keep only a first approximation to the curvature of the Earth. A semi-qualitative investigation of the possible solutions is made in the case of a symmetrical basin, using the Method of Signatures, and existence criteria are found for the solutions in the presence of radial depth variations. Concentrating thereafter on planetary waves, explicit solution for ...