Generalized modulation theory for strongly nonlinear gravity waves in a compressible atmosphere

DOI10.1515/MCWF-2020-0105MaRDI QIDQ2683531zbMATH OpenOpenAlexFDO

Authors Mark Schlutow, Erik Wahlén

Publication date 13 February 2023

Published in Mathematics of Climate and Weather Forecasting (Search for Journal in Brave)

Copyright license Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/1911.12669

zbMATH Keywords

stabilitystationary solutionswave solutions

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Water waves, gravity waves; dispersion and scattering, nonlinear interaction (76B15) Geophysical flows (76U60) Meteorology and atmospheric physics (86A10)

Abstract: This study investigates nonlinear gravity waves in the compressible atmosphere from the Earth's surface to the deep atmosphere. These waves are effectively described by Grimshaw's dissipative modulation equations which provide the basis for finding stationary solutions such as mountain lee waves and testing their stability in an analytic fashion. Assuming energetically consistent boundary and far-field conditions, that is no energy flux through the surface, free-slip boundary, and finite total energy, general wave solutions are derived and illustrated in terms of realistic background fields. These assumptions also imply that the wave-Reynolds number must become less than unity above a certain height. The modulational stability of admissible, both non-hydrostatic and hydrostatic, waves is examined. It turns out that, when accounting for the self-induced mean flow, the wave-Froude number has a resonance condition. If it becomes $1/sqrt2$, then the wave destabilizes due to perturbations from the essential spectrum of the linearized modulation equations. However, if the horizontal wavelength is large enough, waves overturn before they can reach the modulational stability condition.

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Cited in

(7)

• Fractional theoretical model for gravity waves and squall line in complex atmospheric motion
• Spectral stability of nonlinear gravity waves in the atmosphere
• On strongly nonlinear gravity waves in a vertically sheared atmosphere. I: Spectral stability of the refracted wave
• Nonlinear internal waves in the upper atmosphere
• Wave breaking in a compressible atmosphere
• Waves in the gas centrifuge: asymptotic theory and similarities with the atmosphere
• Range of validity of an extended WKB theory for atmospheric gravity waves: one-dimensional and two-dimensional case

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