Propagation of Kelvin waves along irregular coastlines in finite-difference models

In this paper, we examine the behavior of internal Kelvin waves on an f-plane in finite-difference models using the Arakawa C-grid. The dependence of Kelvin wave phase speed on offshore grid resolution and propagation direction relative to the numerical grid is illustrated by numerical experiments for three different geometries: (1) Kelvin wave propagating along a straight coastline; (2) Kelvin wave propagating at a 45° angle to the numerical grid along a stairstep coastline with stairstep size equal to the grid spacing; (3) Kelvin wave propagating at a 45° angle to the numerical grid along a coarse resolution stairstep coastline with stairstep size greater than the grid spacing. It can be shown theoretically that the phase speed of a Kelvin wave propagating along a straight coastline on an Arakawa C-grid is equal to the analytical inviscid wave speed and is not dependent on offshore grid resolution. However, we found that finite-difference models considerably underestimate the Kelvin wave phase speed when the wave is propagating at an angle to the grid and the grid spacing is comparable with the Rossby deformation radius. In this case, the phase speed converges toward the correct value only as grid spacing decreases well below the Rossby radius. A grid spacing of one-fifth the Rossby radius was required to produce results for the stairstep boundary case comparable with the straight coast case. This effect does not appear to depend on the resolution of the coastline, but rather on the direction of wave propagation relative to the grid. This behavior is important for modeling internal Kelvin waves in realistic geometries where the Rossby radius is often comparable with the grid spacing, and the waves propagate along irregular coastlines.©1998 Published by Elsevier Science Limited. All rights reserved     

简单热带海气耦合模型中不同扰动形式的作用

在局地热平衡情况下,将物理量先用韦伯函数展开,然后去掉相应分量的滤波方 法,讨论了简单热带海气耦合模型中不同形式扰动的作用和贡献,结果表明,在热带海气耦合 系统中,大气准定常 Ｒｏｓｓｂｙ波和海洋 Ｒｏｓｓｂｙ波对于耦合系统贡献较大,它们决定着耦合系统 与耦合扰动的性质,而大气准定常Ｋｅｌｖｉｎ波和海洋Ｋｅｌｖｉｎ波对于耦合系统贡献相对较小．     

Reflection of equatorial Kelvin waves at eastern ocean boundaries Part I: hypothetical boundaries

A baroclinic shallow-water model is developed to investigate the effect of the orientation of the eastern ocean boundary on the behavior of equatorial Kelvin waves. The model is formulated in a spherical polar coordinate system and includes dissipation and non-linear terms, effects which have not been previously included in analytical approaches to the problem. Both equatorial and middle latitude response are considered given the large latitudinal extent used in the model. Baroclinic equatorial Kelvin waves of intraseasonal, seasonal and annual periods are introduced into the domain as pulses of finite width. Their subsequent reflection, transmission and dissipation are investigated. It is found that dissipation is very important for the transmission of wave energy along the boundary and for reflections from the boundary. The dissipation was found to be dependent not only on the presence of the coastal Kelvin waves in the domain, but also on the period of these coastal waves. In particular the dissipation increases with wave period. It is also shown that the equatorial β-plane approximation can allow an anomalous generation of Rossby waves at higher latitudes. Nonlinearities generally have a small effect on the solutions, within the confines of this model.     

Long Wave Resonance in Tropical Oceans and Implications on Climate: the Atlantic Ocean

Based on the well established importance of long, non-dispersive baroclinic Kelvin and Rossby waves, a resonance of tropical planetary waves is demonstrated. Three main basin modes are highlighted through joint wavelet analyses of sea surface height (SSH) and surface current velocity (SCV), scale-averaged over relevant bands to address the co-variability of variables: (1) a 1-year period quasi-stationary wave (QSW) formed from gravest mode baroclinic planetary waves which consists of a northern, an equatorial and a southern antinode, and a major node off the South American coast that straddles the north equatorial current (NEC) and the north equatorial counter current (NECC), (2) a half-a-year period harmonic, (3) an 8-year sub-harmonic. Contrary to what is commonly accepted, the 1-year period QSW is not composed of wind-generated Kelvin and Rossby beams but results from the excitation of a tuned basin mode. Trade winds sustain a free tropical basin mode, the natural frequency of which is tuned to synchronize the excitation and the ridge of the QSWs. The functioning of the 1-year period basin mode is confirmed by solving the momentum equations, expanding in terms of Fourier series both the coefficients and the forcing terms. The terms of Fourier series have singularities, highlighting resonances and the relation between the resonance frequency and the wavenumbers. This ill-posed problem is regularized by considering Rayleigh friction. The waves are supposed to be semi-infinite, i.e. they do not reflect at the western and eastern boundaries of the basin, which would assume the waves vanish at these boundaries. At the western boundary the equatorial Rossby wave is deflected towards the northern antinode while forming the NECC that induces a positive Doppler-shifted wavenumber. At the eastern boundary, the Kelvin wave splits into coastal Kelvin waves that flow mainly southward to leave the Gulf of Guinea. In turn, off-tropical waves extend as an equatorially trapped Kelvin wave, being deflected off the western boundary. The succession of warm and cold waters transferred by baroclinic waves during a cycle leaves the tropical ocean by radiation and contributes to western boundary currents. The main manifestation of the basin modes concerns the variability of the NECC, of the branch of the South Equatorial Current (SEC) along the equator, of the western boundary currents as well as the formation of remote resonances, as will be presented in a future work. Remote resonances occur at midlatitudes, the role of which is suspected of being crucial in the functioning of subtropical gyres and in climate variability.     

Influence of topography on tide propagation and amplification in semi-enclosed basins

An idealized model for tide propagation and amplification in semi-enclosed rectangular basins is presented, accounting for depth differences by a combination of longitudinal and lateral topographic steps. The basin geometry is formed by several adjacent compartments of identical width, each having either a uniform depth or two depths separated by a transverse topographic step. The problem is forced by an incoming Kelvin wave at the open end, while allowing waves to radiate outward. The solution in each compartment is written as the superposition of (semi)-analytical wave solutions in an infinite channel, individually satisfying the depth-averaged linear shallow water equations on the f plane, including bottom friction. A collocation technique is employed to satisfy continuity of elevation and flux across the longitudinal topographic steps between the compartments. The model results show that the tidal wave in shallow parts displays slower propagation, enhanced dissipation and amplified amplitudes. This reveals a resonance mechanism, occurring when the length of the shallow end is roughly an odd multiple of the quarter Kelvin wavelength. Alternatively, for sufficiently wide basins, also Poincaré waves may become resonant. A transverse step implies different wavelengths of the incoming and reflected Kelvin wave, leading to increased amplitudes in shallow regions and a shift of amphidromic points in the direction of the deeper part. Including the shallow parts near the basin’s closed end (thus capturing the Kelvin resonance mechanism) is essential to reproduce semi-diurnal and diurnal tide observations in the Gulf of California, the Adriatic Sea and the Persian Gulf.     

Tidal wave diffraction by channels and bays

Abstract

A Kelvin wave in a semi-infinite ocean with a narrow (compared with the wavelength) continental shelf is diffracted by a narrow gap that feeds any of a second semi-infinite ocean, a semi-infinite channel, a closed channel of finite length, a small bay, or a channel terminated by a bay. An equivalent electrical circuit is constructed, in which the incident-wave displacement in the gap appears as the input voltage and the flow into the gap appears as the input current. Approximations to the elements of this circuit are constructed from a quadratic functional that is derived from the integral equation implied by the boundary-value problem. The phase shift in the diffracted Kelvin wave is calculated, and numerical results are given for representative configurations. The general results are applicable to other tidal waves in the semi-infinite ocean, e.g., a Poincaré wave. A model of San Francisco Bay, opening into the ocean through a short, narrow channel (the Golden Gate) and fed by rivers through a long channel (Carquinez Straits), is constructed. It yields a resonant period of 4.6h and a time delay of 3.6 sec for a semi-diurnal (12.4h) Kelvin wave.     

Planetary wave coupling (5–6-day waves) in the low-latitude atmosphere–ionosphere system

Vertical coupling in the low-latitude atmosphere–ionosphere system driven by the 5-day Rossby W1 and 6-day Kelvin E1 waves in the low-latitude MLT region has been investigated. Three different types of data were analysed in order to detect and extract the ∼6-day wave signals. The National Centres for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) geopotential height and zonal wind data at two pressure levels, 30 and 10 hPa, were used to explore the features of the ∼6-day waves present in the stratosphere during the period from 1 July to 31 December 2004. The ∼6-day wave activity was identified in the neutral MLT winds by radar measurements located at four equatorial and three tropical stations. The ∼6-day variations in the ionospheric electric currents (registered by perturbations in the geomagnetic field) were detected in the data from 26 magnetometer stations situated at low latitudes. The analysis shows that the global ∼6-day Kelvin E1 and ∼6-day Rossby W1 waves observed in the low-latitude MLT region are most probably vertically propagating from the stratosphere. The global ∼6-day W1 and E1 waves seen in the ionospheric electric currents are caused by the simultaneous ∼6-day wave activity in the MLT region. The main forcing agent in the equatorial MLT region seems to be the waves themselves, whereas in the tropical MLT region the modulated tides are also of importance.     

Baroclinic,Kelvin and inertia-gravity waves in the barostrat instability experiment

The differentially heated rotating annulus is a laboratory experiment historically designed for modelling large-scale features of the mid-latitude atmosphere. In the present study, we investigate a modified version of the classic baroclinic experiment in which a juxtaposition of convective and motionless stratified layers is created by introducing a vertical salt stratification. The thermal convective motions are suppressed in a central region at mid-depth of the rotating tank, therefore double-diffusive convection rolls can develop only in thin layers located at top and bottom, where the salt stratification is weakest. For high enough rotation rates, the baroclinic instability destabilises the flow in the top and the bottom shallow convective layers, generating cyclonic and anticyclonic eddies separated by the stable stratified layer. Thanks to this alternation of layers resembling the convective and radiative layers of stars, the planetary’s atmospheric troposphere and stratosphere or turbulent layers at the sea surface above stratified waters, this new laboratory setup is of interest for both astrophysics and geophysical sciences. More specifically, it allows to study the exchange of momentum and energy between the layers, primarily by the propagation of internal gravity waves (IGW). PIV velocity maps are used to describe the wavy flow pattern at different heights. Using a co-rotating laser and camera, the wave field is well resolved and different wave types can be found: baroclinic waves, Kelvin and Poincaré type waves. The signature of small-scale IGW can also be observed attached to the baroclinic jet. The baroclinic waves occur at the thin convectively active layer at the surface and the bottom of the tank, though decoupled they show different manifestation of nonlinear interactions. The inertial Kelvin and Poincaré waves seem to be mechanically forced. The small-scale wave trains attached to the meandering jet point to an imbalance of the large-scale flow. For the first time, the simultaneous occurrence of different wave types is reported in detail for a differentially heated rotating annulus experiment.     

The mechanism of the effects of the upwelling mean on the ENSO event mature phase locking

The mechanism of the effects of the upwelling mean on the ENSO event mature phase locking is ex-amined by using a mixed-mode model. The results show that the positive feedback process of the ef-fects of the seasonal variation of the upwelling mean on the Kelvin wave is the mechanism of the locking of the event mature phase to the end of the calendar year. The memory of the Rossby waves for the sign-shifting of the sea surface temperature anomaly from positive to negative 6 months before the cold peak time is the other mechanism of the locking of the La Nia event mature phase to the end of the calendar year. The results here are different from previous ones which suggest that the balance between cold and warm trends of sea surface temperature anomaly is the mechanism involved. The cold trend is caused by the upwelling Kelvin wave from upwelling Rossby wave reflected at the western boundary, excited by the westerly anomaly stress over the central Pacific and amplified by the seasonal variation of the coupled strength in its way propagating westward. The warm trend is caused by the Kelvin wave forced by the western wind stress over the middle and eastern equatorial Pacific. The cause of the differences is due to the opposite phase of the seasonal variation of the upwelling mean to that in the observation and an improper parameterization scheme for the effects of the seasonal varia-tion of the upwelling mean on the ENSO cycle in previous studies.     

Nonlinear wave Packets of Equatorial Kelvin Waves

The weakly nonlinear dynamics of packets of equatorial Kelvin waves is studied using singular perturbation theory applied to the shallow water wave equations. Within the limits of the perturbation theory, which is formally restricted to weak mean shear and weak nonlinearity, we derive a Nonlinear Schroedinger equation to describe the envelope of the wave packet. We find that nonlinearity has a defocusing effect so that coherent wave packets must owe their existence entirely to the generation mechanism rather than to nonlinear focusing of a broad initial disturbance.     

Generation of baroclinic topographic waves by a tropical cyclone impacting a low-latitude continental shelf

Numerical model experiments have been performed to analyze the low-latitude baroclinic continental shelf response to a tropical cyclone. The theory of coastally trapped waves suggests that, provided appropriate slope, latitude, stratification and wind stress, bottom-intensified topographic Rossby waves can be generated by the storm. Based on a scale analysis, the Nicaragua Shelf is chosen to study propagating topographic waves excited by a storm, and a model domain is configured with simplified but similar geometry. The model is forced with wind stress representative of a hurricane translating slowly over the region at 6 km h⁻¹. Scale analysis leads to the assumption that baroclinic Kelvin wave modes have minimal effect on the low-frequency wave motions along the slope, and coastal-trapped waves are restricted to topographic Rossby waves. Analysis of the simulated motions suggests that the shallow part of the continental slope is under the influence of barotropic topographic wave motions and at the deeper part of the slope baroclinic topographic Rossby waves dominate the low-frequency motions. Numerical solutions are in a good agreement with theoretical scale analysis. Characteristics of the simulated baroclinic waves are calculated based on linear theory of bottom-intensified topographic Rossby waves. Simulated waves have periods ranging from 153 to 203 h. The length scale of the waves is from 59 to 87 km. Analysis of energy fluxes for a fixed volume on the slope reveals predominantly along-isobath energy propagation in the direction of the group velocity of a topographic Rossby wave. Another model experiment forced with a faster translating hurricane demonstrates that fast moving tropical cyclones do not excite energetic baroclinic topographic Rossby waves. Instead, robust inertial oscillations are identified over the slope.     

Dynamical Control of Pacific Oceanic Low-frequency Variability on Western Boundary and Marginal Seas

The adjustment of sea surface height (SSH) around the coasts of the Japan/East Sea (JES) and the South China Sea (SCS) basins subjected to extratropical Pacific Oceanic low frequency variability is studied using a Kelvin-planetary wave model and a high resolution numerical model. It is found that the modulation of SSH around the coast of Japan is mainly determined by slow adjustment of planetary waves, which radiate from the west coast of Honshu and Hokkaido due to the coastal Kelvin wave. In contrast, the SSH modulation around the cost of the South China Sea basin is mainly determined by the coastal Kelvin wave, which transfers the anomalous SSH into the SCS via the Luzon Strait and out via the Mindoro Strait. The planetary waves radiating from the west coast of Palawan establish a nearly uniform SSH anomaly in the southern part of the SCS, bounded by an eastward jet at the latitude of the Mindoro Strait. Along the western boundary, SSH anomaly decreases almost linearly toward the south, in accordance with the changing local deformation radius. In these two marginal seas, the mean subtropical Pacific gyre circulation enhances SSH modulation induced by extratropical Pacific low frequency variability. Overall, the SSH adjustment in the JES and the SCS predicted by the analytical model agrees well with the numerical model simulation. Application of this model to interaction between these marginal seas and the open ocean is discussed.     

Relative role of subinertial and superinertial modes in the coastal long wave response forced by the landfall of a tropical cyclone

A set of numerical experiments has been performed in order to analyze the long-wave response of the coastal ocean to a translating mesoscale atmospheric cyclone approaching the coastline at a normal angle. An idealized two-slope shelf topography is chosen. The model is forced by a radially symmetric atmospheric pressure perturbation with a corresponding gradient wind field. The cyclone's translation speed, radius, and the continental shelf width are considered as parameters whose impact on the long wave period, modal structure, and amplitude is studied. Subinertial continental shelf waves (CSW) dominate the response under typical forcing conditions and on the narrower shelves. They propagate in the downstream (in the sense of Kelvin wave propagation) direction. Superinertial edge wave modes have higher free surface amplitudes and faster phase speeds than the CSW modes. While potentially more dangerous, edge waves are not as common as subinertial shelf waves because their generation requires a wide, gently sloping shelf and a storm system translating at a relatively high (∼10 m s⁻¹ or faster) speed. A relatively smaller size of an atmospheric cyclone also favors edge wave generation. Edge waves with the highest amplitude (up to 60% of the forced storm surge) propagate upstream. They are produced by a storm system with an Eulerian time scale equal to the period of a zero-mode edge wave with the wavelength of the storm spatial scale. Large amplitude edge waves were generated during Hurricane Wilma's landfall (2005) on the West Florida shelf with particularly severe flooding occurring upstream of the landfall site.     

Some effects of a mean zonal thermocline gradient on planetary equatorial waves

Planetary equatorial waves are studied with the shallow water equations in the presence of a mean zonal thermocline gradient. The interactions between this gradient and waves are represented by three non-linear terms in the equations: one in the wind-forcing formulation in the x-momentum equation, and two for the advection of mass and divergence of the velocity field in the continuity equation. When the mean gradient is imposed but small, these three (linearized) terms will perturb the behavior of the equatorial waves. This paper gives a simple analytic treatment of this problem.The equatorial Kelvin mode is first solved with all three contributions, using a Wentzel-Kramers-Brillouin method. The Kelvin mode shows a spatial or/and temporal growth when the thermocline gradient is negative which is the usual situation in the equatorial Pacific ocean (deep thermocline in the west and shallow in the east). The more robust and efficient contribution comes from the advection term.The single effect of the advection of the mean zonal thermocline gradient is then studied for the Kelvin and planetary Rossby modes. The Kelvin mode remains unstable (damped), while the Rossby modes appear damped (unstable) for a negative (positive) thermocline gradient.     

A reduced model for nonlinear dispersive waves in a rotating environment

Abstract

The simplest model for geophysical flows is one layer of a constant density fluid with a free surface, where the fluid motions occur on a scale in which the Coriolis force is significant. In the linear shallow water limit, there are non-dispersive Kelvin waves, localized near a boundary or near the equator, and a large family of dispersive waves. We study weakly nonlinear and finite depth corrections to these waves, and derive a reduced system of equations governing the flow. For this system we find approximate solitary Kelvin waves, both for waves traveling along a boundary and along the equator. These waves induce jets perpendicular to their direction of propagation, which may have a role in mixing. We also derive an equivalent reduced system for the evolution of perturbations to a mean geostrophic flow.     

Oscillatory flow in the liquid core

There has been renewed interest lately in the possibility that at least a part of the Earth's liquid core may be stably stratified. A gravitationally stable region would permit the existence of inertia-gravity or gravity-inertia waves in addition to the Rossby and Kelvin waves which exist due to rotational effects and which are well known in oceanography and atmospheric dynamics. These wave motions are of interest because their periods are dependent on the density stratification as specified by the buoyancy frequency N which in turn determines the amplitude of large-scale radial motions in the core.The waves have too high a frequency to be connected dynamically to the magnetic field in the core, but if they do exist they may be detectable by sensitive long-period gravimeters at the Earth's surface. This paper examines the available evidence for the frequency regimes, excitation and damping mechanisms of the core waves. It is concluded that although the waves may exist theoretically, their detection and interpretation as a method for determining N is a difficult proposition.     

地球自转与EI Nino──波动理论

考虑地球自转速率随时间的变化,应用描写低纬的地球流体（大气和海洋）的浅水模式方程组,分析了地球自转速率变化对低纬大气和海洋波动的影响．研究指出：地球自转速率的变化不但会直接影响纬向风和洋流的变化,而且通过Ｋｅｌｖｉｎ波的传播导致海平面和海温的变化,从而导致ＥＩ　Ｎｉｎｏ现象的产生．所以,地球自转速率的变化是影响全球气候变化的重要因素之一．     

Nonlinear internal waves in ideal rotating basins

Abstract

Starting from Euler's equations of motion a nonlinear model for internal waves in fluids is developed by an appropriate scaling and a vertical integration over two layers of different but constant density. The model allows the barotropic and the first baroclinic mode to be calculated. In addition to the nonlinear advective terms dispersion and Coriolis force due to the Earth's rotation are taken into account. The model equations are solved numerically by an implicit finite difference scheme. In this paper we discuss the results for ideal basins: the effects of nonlinear terms, dispersion and Coriolis force, the mechanism of wind forcing, the evolution of Kelvin waves and the corresponding transport of particles and, finally, wave propagation over variable topography. First applications to Lake Constance are shown, but a detailed analysis is deferred to a second paper [Bauer et al. (1994)].     

Acceleration of mean zonal flows by planetary waves

The mechanism of acceleration of the mean zonal flow by a planetary wave is explained intuitively by considering the wave drag which a corrugated bottom feels when it excites the wave. The explanation is justified by solving the problem of vertical propagation of a planetary wave packet and the second order mean motion induced around it. The discussion is slightly extended to the case of small damping, to illustrate in a compact form the fact that the mean zonal acceleration is determined by a forcing due to wave transience plus that due to wave dissipation.The mean flow induced by a steady, dissipating planetary wave is discussed, and it is shown that it depends largely on the dissipation scale-height of the wave whether the northern region is heated or cooled. For example, if the wave velocity-amplitude increases upward in spite of dissipation, the induced easterly flow increases with height and the temperature of the northern region increases relative to that in the southern region. A similar point has been made byDunkerton (1979) in connection with westerly flows induced by Kelvin waves.The Lagrangian-mean motion induced by a planetary wave is briefly discussed in connection with the mechanism of acceleration of the mean zonal flow, in the case of a slowly varying wave packet. Further, in order el elucidate the effects of wave dissipation and time dependence of wave amplitude, the results obtained for a steady, dissipating wave and for a growing baroclinic wave are mentioned.     

Establishment and adjustment of monsoon-driven circulation in the South China Sea

The South China Sea (SCS) is one of the large marginal seas of the western Pacific Ocean. In comparison with open oceans, the SCS circulation has obviously transient characteristics due to its small basin-scale and semi-annually reversed monsoon forcing. …