Kelvin Wave

Kelvin wave

A Kelvin wave is a low-frequency gravity wave whose motion is concentrated near a vertical boundary or the equator. It occurs in the ocean and the atmosphere, as well as in large lakes. Waves along a coast are called coastal Kelvin waves; those along the equator are equatorial Kelvin waves. In a coastal Kelvin wave, a pressure gradient across the flow balances the Earth's Coriolis force, while the fluid moves along the boundary. Kelvin wave retains its shape as it moves, and therefore does not curl over. The direction of the wave is fixed: the coastal wave moves towards the equator along the western coasts, towards the poles along the eastern coasts. Around a closed basin, coastal Kelvin waves travel counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere. Equatorial Kelvin waves always travel eastward. Kelvin waves are regular events. Both equatorial and coastal waves are observed mutiple times per year.

Data Source : Wikipedia

• Related Topics:  Rossby Wave - Rossby Waves, Also Known As Planetary Waves, Are A Type Of Inertial Wave Naturally Occurring In Rotating Fluids. They Were First Identified By Sweden-Born American Meteorologist Carl-Gustaf Arvid Rossby In The Earth's Atmosphere In 1939., Rossby-Gravity Waves - Rossby-Gravity Waves Are Equatorially Trapped Waves, Meaning That They Rapidly Decay As Their Distance Increases Away From The Equator. These Waves Have The Same Trapping Scale As Kelvin Waves, More Commonly Known As The Equatorial Rossby Deformation Radius., Equatorial Rossby Wave - Equatorial Rossby Waves, Often Called Planetary Waves, Are Very Long, Low Frequency Water Waves Found Near The Equator And Are Derived Using The Equatorial Beta Plane Approximation., Edge Wave - In Fluid Dynamics, An Edge Wave Is A Surface Gravity Wave Fixed By Refraction Against A Rigid Boundary, Often A Shoaling Beach. Progressive Edge Waves Travel Along This Boundary, Varying Sinusoidally Along It And Diminishing Exponentially In The Offshore Direction., Tropical Wave - A Tropical Wave, In And Around The Atlantic Ocean, Is A Type Of Atmospheric Trough, An Elongated Area Of Relatively Low Air Pressure, Oriented North To South, Which Moves From East To West Across The Tropics, Causing Areas Of Cloudiness And Thunderstorms., William Thomson, 1St Baron Kelvin, Tropical Meteorology, Fluid Mechanics