Rossby Waves

5 important questions on Rossby Waves

What causes local weather variations?

Unstable baroclinics

How can Rossby waves exist?

Because of the rotation of the earth.

What generates Rossby waves? (3 points)


1. baroclinic instability: midlatitude storms (1000 km)
2. flow over mountain ranges: conservation of angular momentum
3. deep convection in the tropics: upper level divergence
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How does the atmosphere transport heat forewards?

Not by the mean flow but by transient eddies.

What does hydrostatic balance mean?

The pressure is approximately equal to the weight of the air column above. Warm air is lighter, pressure drops less quickly with height.

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