Geostrophic adjustment in a stratified atmosphere
| dc.contributor.author | Fulton, Scott R., author | |
| dc.contributor.author | Schubert, Wayne H., author | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2022-05-31T17:22:00Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2022-05-31T17:22:00Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 1980-08 | |
| dc.description | August 1980. | |
| dc.description | Also issued as Scott R. Fulton's thesis (M.S.) -- Colorado State University, 1980. | |
| dc.description.abstract | The geostrophic adjustment process in a compressible atmosphere with arbitrary vertical stratification is studied as an initial value problem. The governing equations are the adiabatic quasi-static equations on an f-plane linearized about a motionless basic state. A rigid lid upper boundary condition is assumed which permits the use of a discrete eigenfunction expansion in the vertical. Using Fourier transforms in the horizontal a general solution is obtained for both the transient and final states. The general solution is evaluated for several simple experiments with axisymmetric initial conditions in the mass and vorticity fields which have horizontal variations on the tropical cloud cluster scale. These experiments assume a basic state characterized by constant static stability in log-pressure coordinates and a Coriolis parameter corresponding to 20°N latitude. Results are presented which illustrate the nature of the transient adjustment process. Comparison of the initial and final states indicates that the inclusion of vertical structure does not alter the basic conclusion from previous barotropic studies that in the tropics the mass field tends to adjust to the wind field. However, it is found that the extent of this adjustment depends strongly on the vertical structure of the initial conditions. These results are interpreted in term s of the projection of the initial conditions onto the vertical modes. | |
| dc.description.sponsorship | Sponsored by the Global Atmospheric Research Program, National Science Foundation ATM-7808125 and ATM-8009799. | |
| dc.format.medium | reports | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/10217/235360 | |
| dc.language | English | |
| dc.language.iso | eng | |
| dc.publisher | Colorado State University. Libraries | |
| dc.relation | Catalog record number (MMS ID): 991023636269703361 | |
| dc.relation | QC852 .C6 no. 326 | |
| dc.relation.ispartof | Atmospheric Science Papers (Blue Books) | |
| dc.relation.ispartof | Atmospheric science paper, no. 326 | |
| dc.rights | Copyright and other restrictions may apply. User is responsible for compliance with all applicable laws. For information about copyright law, please see https://libguides.colostate.edu/copyright. | |
| dc.subject | Geostrophic wind | |
| dc.title | Geostrophic adjustment in a stratified atmosphere | |
| dc.type | Text | |
| dcterms.rights.dpla | This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights (https://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/). You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s). |
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