Shallow Water Waves on the Rotating Sphere
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PHYSICAL RBVIEW E VOLUME SI, NUMBER S MAYl99S Shallowwater waves on the rotating sphere D. MUller andJ. J. O'Brien Centerfor Ocean-AtmosphericPrediction Studies,Florida State Univenity, TallahDSSee,Florida 32306 (Received8 September1994) Analytical solutions of the linear wave equation of shallow waters on the rotating, spherical surface have been found for standing as weD as for inertial waves. The spheroidal wave operator is shown to playa central role in this wave equation. Prolate spheroidal angular functions capture the latitude- longitude anisotropy, the east-westasymmetry, and the Yoshida inhomogeneity of wave propagation on the rotating spherical surface. The identification of the fundamental role of the spheroidal wave opera- tor permits an overview over the system's wave number space. Three regimes can be distinguished. High-frequency gravity waves do not experience the Yoshida waveguide and exhibit Cariolis-induced east-westasymmetry. A second, low-frequency regime is exclusively populated by Rossby waves. The familiar .8-plane regime provides the appropriate approximation for equatorial, baroclinic, low- frequency waves. Gravity waves on the .8-plane exhibit an amplified Cariolis-induced east-westasym- metry. Validity and limitations of approximate dispersion relations are directly tested against numeri- caDy calculated solutions of the full eigenvalueproblem. PACSnumber(s): 47.32.-y. 47.3S.+i,92.~.Dj. 92.10.Hm L INTRODUcnON [4] in the framework of the .B-pJaneapproximation. In this Cartesian approximation of the spherical geometry The first theoretical investigation of the large-scale near the equator Matsuno identified Rossby, mixed responseof the ocean-atmospheresystem to external tidal Rossby-gravity, as well as gravity waves, including the forces was conducted by Laplace [I] in terms of the KelVin wave. He moreover confirmed Yoshida's hy- linearized Euler equations on the rotating sphere. Since pothesis [5] of an equatorial waveguide. A subsequent then. these equations are known as "the tidal equations." numerical study of the spherical problem by Longuet- although their significance widely exceedsthe tidal prob- Higgins [6] provided a quantitative representation of the lem: the free. linearized Euler equations on the rotating eigenvalues and eigenfunctions of the tidal equation. sphere govern the basic small-amplitude dynamics of the These calculations demonstrated that Matsuno's theory shallow ftuid envelope of a rotating planet. As such they was qualitatively complete. However, in spite of its pose the fundamental linear problem of planetary circula- eleganceand fundamental role for the terrestrial climate tion theory with applications to the atmosphereas well as problem, the ,B-pJaneapproximation is not entirely free to the ocean. These applications include short term. from ambiguities. In contrast to Laplace's tidal equation large-scalephenomena like the tides in the narrow sense. it does not provide a physically meaningful nonrotating and long term. large-scalephenomena like the terrestrial limit and postulates, furthermore, an apparently paradox- climate problem and the circulation of the atmospheres ical east-west asymmetry of gravity of waves. For given of other planets. The generic dynamics of the mode number and frequency a westward traveling gravity overwhelming majority of contemporary numerical circu- wave has a different phase speed than its eastward coun- lation models are represented by Laplace's tidal equa- terpart. Such an asymmetry suggests a Doppler-type tions. effect due to a relative motion of medium and observer. In contrast to the nonrotating case. Laplace observed However, the "tidal" equations represent a situation that the special form of the rotation vector rendered the where both medium and observer are corotating and at three-dimensional (3D) spherical problem nonseparable. rest relative to each other. In the framework of Doppler With "the tidal equation" he established a 2D approxi- theory, these gravity waves should thus be symmetric. mation, which is separable in spherical coordinates. In Recently, exact, analytical solutions of the spherical ti- this framework the discussed what is now called the dal equation have been presented [7] for the special cases Lamb wave under the inftuence of external tidal forces. of standing waves and inertial waves. These results show Laplace was not able to evaluate the eigensolutionsof his that the eigenfunctions of the tidal equation are closely equation. A century later. Margules [2] identified asymp- related to spheroidal wave functions and underscore the totically two classesof solutions: gravity waves and the baroclinic, low-frequency nature of the ,B-pJaneapproxi- now called Rossby waves. An extensive investigation of mation. At high frequencies, the .B-pJaneapproximation these asymptotics by Hough [3] led to the notion of cannot appropriately accommodate the effectsof rotation "Hough functions" for the eigensolutionsof Laplace's ti- on the dispersion of gravity waves. In this regime, an al- dal equations. ternative approximation of the dispersion relation ap- The most comprehensivediscussion of the dynamics of plies. Presently, a complete analytical theory of the "tidal" problem to date has been given by Matsuno Laplace's tidal equations is still not available. 1063-6SlX/9S/S I(S)/4418(14)/506.00 n 4418 @ 1995 The American Physical Society n SHALLOW WATER WAVES ON nIB R.OT A TIN G SPHERE 4419 The "tidal" equations occupy their fundamental posi- tal dynamical nature of the large-scalecirculation. Verti- tion in planetary circulation theory essentially due to cal structure has to comply with covariance requirements their consistency with respect to geometry, dynamics, and for multilayer versions this is the case. Shallow wa- and inertial forces, i.e., their covariance with respect to ter theory with the covariant inclusion of vertical varia- the 2D non-Euclidean geometry of the spherical surface. bility as (prognostic or diagnostic) internal variability of a It is noteworthy t~t Laplace establishedhis form of the spatially 2D fluid representsthe dynamically appropriate equations some 60 years before Coriolis's work on framework for planetary circulation theory. Newton dynamics in rotating systems and-although The lack of a complete analytical theory of the linear spherical trigonometry was known at the time-some 75 shallow water equations on the rotating spheremore than years before Riemann's systematic discussion of non- two centuries after their formulation provides a measure Euclidean geometries. Laplace considered the diagnos- of their complexity. This is partly due to the necessarily tics of a barotropic gas. Structurally the same diagnos- curvilinear nature of the problem. Partial differential tics hold for shallow water theory in the vertically in- operators in curvilinear coordinates carry coordinate- tegrated ("transport") form. Linear, as well as nonlinear dependent coefficients, which complicate the derivation shallow water theories in transport form thus preserve of higher-order wave equations from the first order equa- the dynamically essential covariance of Laplace's tidal tions of motion. However, these problems are drastically equations. In view of their role for the large-scalecircu- simplified by utilizing tensor analysis in Riemann space, ~tion, the "tidal" equations are thus primarily the linear invoking in particular the concept of covariant shallow water equations on the rotating sphere. Howev- differentiation. In contrast to the partial derivative, the er, it has always been questioned whether shallow water covariant derivative "automatically" accounts for the theory can provide a sufficiently rich framework to cap- coefficient functions so that the usual differentiation rules ture the relevant features of the large-scalecirculation. for products and other combinations of tensors apply to Shallow water theory in its generic form has an unreal- covariant differentiation. The manipulation of istically trivial vertical structure. But, interestingly differential expressions then almost proceeds as in the enough, the incorporation of vertical structure, namely, caseof Cartesian coordinates. baroclinicity, into circulation models has been essentially The additional feature to be taken into account is the guided by the spirit of boundary layer theory with little non-Euclidean nature of the intrinsic geometry of the 2D regard for covariance requirements. The prototype of the spherical surface (it may be noted that the "3D spheri- resulting models is the set of the so called "primitive cal" geometry of the "primitive equations" with vertical equations," constructed from three basic ingredients: (1) coordinate z = r -a, where r is the radial coordinate of hydrostatics in the vertical, (2) generally a Boussinesq- 3D Euclidean, spherical geometry and a the Earth's ra- type formulation of stratification, and (3) Laplace's dius, is also non-Euclidean). For a non-Euclidean Coriolis parameter for the representation of inertial geometry the Riemann tensor no longer vanishes. This forces. As a mixture of 3D and 2D features, the "primi- fourth order tensor is a functional of the metric, measur- tive equations" are strictly noncovariant. The derivation ing the anticommutator of the covariant second order of physically meaningful results from these equations re- derivatives of a vector. As a consequenceof a nontrivial quires a sophisticated set of scaling conditions [8] and in Riemannian, the covariant second order derivatives