Rossby Waves

Atmospheric Rossby waves are giant bends of high-altitude winds that have a serious impact on the weather . These waves are associated with pressure zones and high-altitude jet flows ^[1] ; take part in the formation of cyclones , anticyclones . The phase velocity of Rossby earth waves always tends to the west, while the group (associated with the movement of energy) can go in any direction.

Atmospheric Rossby waves arise due to a shift in vortex flows due to the uneven effect of the Coriolis forces at different latitudes. The waves were first detected in the Earth’s atmosphere in 1939 by Karl-Gustav Arvid Rossby , who later tried to explain their movements.

Rossby ocean waves run along the surface of the thermocline , which is the boundary between the warm upper layer of the ocean and its lower cold part. They have a low amplitude, from a few centimeters (on the surface) to meters (on a thermal wedge), at a very large wavelength - of the order of hundreds of kilometers. Separate waves can exist for several months or even years, crossing the Pacific Ocean during this time.

Rossby ocean waves are accelerated by wind pressure on the surface layer of the ocean and are believed to be involved in climate change due to the interaction of wind and buoyancy. Both barotropic and baroclinic waves cause temporary changes in the height of the sea surface, although wavelengths were difficult to determine before satellite altimetry appeared. Baroclinic waves also generate significant displacements of the oceanic layer of the jump , often by tens of meters.

Observations of the NASA / CHES TOPEX / Poseidon satellite confirmed the existence of Rossby ocean waves. Satellite observations have shown the movement of Rossby waves in all oceanic basins, in particular, in low and middle latitudes.

Rossby waves were proposed as an important mechanism for taking into account ocean heating on the surface of Europe (the satellite of Jupiter).

• Rossby Index
• Rossby wave instability in astrophysical discs