Planetary Rossby Waves Propagating Vertically Through Weak Westerly Wind Wave Guides

Abstract

The role of horizontal wind shears in the vertical propagation of planetary Rossby waves is investigated using an adiabatic linear model. We discuss wave guides formed by regions of weak westerly wind. If the wave guide is formed by trapping of waves between strong westerlies and/or the geometric poles, the ducting occurs as a wave propagation in discrete normal modes of the internal wave guide. On the other hand, for wave guides formed by one or more lines of zero wind, waves are absorbed rather than reflected at the zero wind line so that there are no normal modes of the wave guide. Disturbances excited in the lower stratosphere in the equatorial zero wind wave guide will terminate somewhere in the equatorial stratosphere, but eddy motions may be maintained in the tropics at higher levels by leakage from the Aleutian high planetary wave propagating vertically in a polar wave guide. The Aleutian high should he significantly attenuated by such leakage. The theory of zero wind line absorption suggests a planetary wave coupling with the biennial oscillation.