Numerical study of baroclinic instability

Abstract

The effect of a power law gravity field on baroclinic instability is examined with emphasis on the case of inverse fifth power gravity, since this is the power law produced when terrestrial gravity is simulated in spherical geometry by electrostatic means. Growth rates of unstable normal modes were obtained as a function of parameters of the problem by solving a second order differential equation numerically. Results are compared with those from an earlier study where gravity was a constant. The conclusion is that, over the range of parameter space explored here, there is no significant change in the character of theoretical regime diagrams if the vertically averaged gravity is used as a parameter.