The modification of long planetary waves by homogeneous potential vorticity layers

• Published in: Journal of physical oceanography Vol. 29; no. 3; pp. 500 - 511
• Main Authors: DE SZOEKE, R. A, CHELTON, D. B
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston, MA American Meteorological Society 01.03.1999
• Subjects: Dynamics of the ocean (upper and deep oceans); Earth, ocean, space; Exact sciences and technology; External geophysics; Marine; Oceanography; Oceans; Physics of the oceans; Rossby wave; Wave propagation; Vorticity; Ocean wave; Hydrographic survey; Numerical method; Planetary wave; Velocity distribution
• ISSN: 0022-3670; 1520-0485
• DOI: 10.1175/1520-0485(1999)029<0500:tmolpw>2.0.co;2

A mechanism by which long planetary waves in the ocean may propagate significantly faster than the classical long baroclinic Rossby waves is investigated. The mechanism depends on the poleward thickening of intermediate density layers and the concomitant thinning of near-surface and deep layers. These features of the mass distribution are associated with the well-known homogenization of potential vorticity in intermediate density layers and with significantly elevated meridional potential vorticity gradients near the surface and somewhat at depth. The mechanism is explored in a simple three-layer model, in which the middle layer has zero potential vorticity gradient and is sandwiched between a surface layer with large potential vorticity gradient and a bottom layer with modest potential vorticity gradient. The effective phase speed of the planetary waves is merely the sum of the phase speeds of virtual baroclinic Rossby waves propagating on the individual layer interfaces as though the other interface were not there and as though there were no mean vertical shear. The mechanism is also examined for a continuous model with zero potential vorticity gradient throughout the interior and large virtual potential vorticity gradients near the surface and bottom. Planetary waves in these models can propagate westward up to twice as fast as baroclinic Rossby waves would through an ocean with the same vertical stratification, but no mean vertical shear. This explanation of the Rossby wave speedup complements a recent detailed theoretical calculation of planetary-wave phase speeds based on geostrophic velocity profiles from archived hydrographic data.