EFFECTS OF THE HORIZONTAL COMPONENT OF THE EARTHS ROTATION ON WAVE-PROPAGATION ON AN F-PLANE

Scaling arguments are used to show that effects due to the horizontal component of the Coriolis force should be taken into account as a firs t correction to the traditional hydrostatic theory, before frequency d ispersion due to vertical acceleration and nonlinearity are included. It is shown analytically that wave propagation of the f-(f) over tilde -plane becomes anisotropic and that amphidromic systems do not exist i n their usual definition. Another important consequence is the existen ce of free wave solutions at subinertial frequencies. The inclusion of the horizontal component of the Coriolis force is further investigate d numerically for effects on various forms of wave propagation (barotr opic, baroclinic, internal and topographic). Using a sigma-coordinate ocean circulation model, the analytically derived results are extended to more general cases including stratification and topography. A seri es of idealized process studies is performed to show the modified wave properties. These concentrate on the eigen-oscillations of closed bas ins, the internal wave response to a single pulse and forced seamount trapped waves. Implications for local and regional models of ocean cir culation are considered.