NUMERICAL EXPERIMENTS ON THE EFFECTS OF A MERIDIONAL RIDGE ON THE TRANSMISSION OF ENERGY BY BAROTROPIC ROSSBY WAVES

Authors
Citation
Rp. Matano, NUMERICAL EXPERIMENTS ON THE EFFECTS OF A MERIDIONAL RIDGE ON THE TRANSMISSION OF ENERGY BY BAROTROPIC ROSSBY WAVES, J GEO RES-O, 100(C9), 1995, pp. 18271-18280
Citations number
26
Language
INGLESE
art.tipo
Article
Categorie Soggetti
Oceanografhy
Journal title
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-OCEANS
ISSN journal
2169-9275 → ACNP
Volume
100
Issue
C9
Year of publication
1995
Pages
18271 - 18280
Database
ISI
SICI code
2169-9275(1995)100:C9<18271:NEOTEO>2.0.ZU;2-D
Abstract
Analytical and numerical models are used to study the effects of a mer idional ridge on the propagation of barotropic Rossby waves produced b y distant wind stress forcing. The analytical model illustrates the qu alitative aspects of the problem by solving a simplified form of the p otential vorticity equation. The analytical results are complemented b y numerical experiments using a shallow-water model. In these experime nts, waves are excited near the eastern boundary of the model. The eff ect that the presence of a meridional ridge has on the propagation of these waves is evaluated using spectral analysis. The numerical experi ments show that the ridge acts as a low-pass filter for westward propa gating waves. In a 4000-m deep ocean a ridge 500 km wide and 500 m hig h has little effect in preventing energy transmission by barotropic wa ves. The topographic effect increases sharply with the ridge's height so that a 2000-m ridge almost isolates two neighboring subbasins. The numerical results indicate that for the range of geophysically relevan t cases the ridge's width plays only a minor role.