Rossby Waves in Opposing Currents

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Abstract
A barotropic Rossby wave incident to a region of increasing mean flow velocity opposing the wave group velocity undergoes a reversal of direction at a stopping point where the mean flow velocity and local wave group velocities are equal and opposite. Incident wave amplitude increases approaching this stopping point, which may be referred to as a group velocity critical layer, but eventually suffers a decrease along its trajectory so that the reflected wave amplitude and energy tend to zero on approach to a phase velocity critical layer located where the opposing flow vanishes. Some applications of this process to observations of synoptic scale Rossby waves are suggested and an example of the interaction of an incident wave with a barotropic model of the Hadley circulation is presented to illustrate these ideas. Abstract A barotropic Rossby wave incident to a region of increasing mean flow velocity opposing the wave group velocity undergoes a reversal of direction at a stopping point where the mean flow velocity and local wave group velocities are equal and opposite. Incident wave amplitude increases approaching this stopping point, which may be referred to as a group velocity critical layer, but eventually suffers a decrease along its trajectory so that the reflected wave amplitude and energy tend to zero on approach to a phase velocity critical layer located where the opposing flow vanishes. Some applications of this process to observations of synoptic scale Rossby waves are suggested and an example of the interaction of an incident wave with a barotropic model of the Hadley circulation is presented to illustrate these ideas.

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