The Effect of Variable Coriolis Parameter in a Planetary Circulation Generated by a Two-Parameter Quasigeostrophic Model

Abstract

The governing equations of a two-level quasigeostrophic model were integrated twice for periods of about 10 days, once including variation of the Coriolis parameter (the ? term) and once excluding it. As expected, the exclusion of the ?-term resulted in a quicker rate of development. The evolving perturbation had almost the same pattern in the two cases, but the final distribution of the mean zonal winds was different. In the ?=0 case the zonal velocities in the central region tended towards a barotropic pattern, while a baroclinic jet was formed in the case where ??0. The numerical integration is also compared with linear theory.