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Forced Rossby wave packets in a zonal shear flow in the presence of a critical layer

The linearized barotropic vorticity equations is solved to investigate the meridional propagation of a forced Rossby wave packet towards a critical layer in a zonal shear flow. The forcing is applied north of the critical layer. Two approaches are employed for solving this problem. First an analytic solution valid for large time is derived, using Fourier and Laplace transform techniques and asymptotic approximations. This solution exhibits the modification due to the wave packet of the corresponding solution obtained by Warn and Warn (1976) in the monochromatic case. / A numerical investigation is then carried out using a finite difference scheme and a time-dependent radiation condition. It is found that the forced waeve packet is absorbed at the critical layer, and the total momentum transferred to the mean flow as a result of the absorption is observed to be proportional to the length scale of the wave packet.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.23872
Date January 1996
CreatorsCampbell, Lucy J.
ContributorsMoslowe (advisor), Sherwin (advisor)
PublisherMcGill University
Source SetsLibrary and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeElectronic Thesis or Dissertation
Formatapplication/pdf
CoverageMaster of Science (Department of Mathematics and Statistics.)
RightsAll items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated.
Relationalephsysno: 001499654, proquestno: MM12168, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest.

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