KINETIC-ENERGY SPECTRUM OF MERIDIONAL MOTION IN THE MID-TROPOSPHERE

Abstract

A study is made of the daily kinetic-energy spectra of meridional motions at 500 millibars at latitude 45°N for a three-months winter period. A pronounced characteristic of these spectra is the occurrence of a double maximum, indicating the existence of two distinct wave-number bands in the mid-troposphere. The two wave-number bands are centered around wave numbers four and eight.