Equatorward-Propagating Continental Shelf Waves

Abstract

This note is concerned with equatorward-propagating barotropic non-divergent shelf waves in a channel for which analytic solutions are obtained both for constant Coriolis parameter, and for the Coriolis parameter which varies with latitude. We show that the presence of a topographic barrier, or a turning latitude where the wave frequency equals the maximum allowable frequency for shelf waves, will result in wave reflection, and the subsequent formation of an amplitude-modulated wave.