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Canonical frontal circulation patterns in terms of Green's functions for the Sawyer‐Eliassen equation
Author(s) -
Hakim G. J.,
Keyser D.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
quarterly journal of the royal meteorological society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.744
H-Index - 143
eISSN - 1477-870X
pISSN - 0035-9009
DOI - 10.1002/qj.49712757517
Subject(s) - geostrophic wind , circulation (fluid dynamics) , troposphere , bounded function , momentum (technical analysis) , sign (mathematics) , coupling (piping) , front (military) , atmospheric circulation , stream function , secondary circulation , physics , geology , climatology , mathematics , mathematical analysis , meteorology , mechanics , vortex , vorticity , mechanical engineering , finance , engineering , economics
Green's function solutions for the Sawyer‐Eliassen equation are derived and compared for quasi‐geostrophic and semi‐geostrophic two‐dimensional frontal dynamics in vertically bounded domains. The semi‐geostrophic Green's functions provide a framework for understanding canonical frontal circulation patterns arising from interactions, or coupling, between upper‐ and lower‐tropospheric jet‐front systems. Previously documented conceptual models for these circulation patterns are reproduced by the solutions. A noteworthy finding is that vertical coupling produces a deep and narrow region of ascent when the upper‐ and lower‐tropospheric point sources for the Green's functions share the same sign and absolute momentum surface.