Linear stability and stable modes of geostrophic fronts. (English) Zbl 0538.76050
(Author’s summary.) A Rayleigh integral is used to prove that an unbounded geostrophic front of uniform potential vorticity is stable with respect to small perturbations of arbitrary wavelength. The ageostrophic theory developed in this study yields a stable, near-inertial, long trapped mode. Recent oceanic observations of the increase in the energy of the inertial peak in the vicinity of fronts supports the existence of this inertial trapped mode. In addition the theory yields a geostrophic mode which is expected to become unstable when the potential vorticity is not uniform.
Reviewer: H.S.Takhar
MSC:
| 76E20 | Stability and instability of geophysical and astrophysical flows |
| 86A05 | Hydrology, hydrography, oceanography |
Keywords:
Rayleigh integral; unbounded geostrophic front of uniform potential vorticity; small perturbations of arbitrary wavelength; ageostrophic theory; near-inertial; long trapped mode; inertial peakReferences:
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