ON COMPENSATED EDDIES WITH MINIMAL ENSTRO PHY

The problem of compensated barotropic eddy search with minimal enstrop hy is formulated within a class of stationary translation and rotation vortex structures for the given kinetic energy and angular momentum. It is found by the perturbation method that there is only one stationa ry saddle point in the vicinity of the axisymmetrical structures in th e space of allowed ones which corresponds to the Leith's solution [8]. It is derived that minimal solutions must be essentially asymmetric a nd possible directions of further search were named.