Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-physics-of-atmospheres-and-oceans-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/2021/6/c/ii/solution

Along , differentiating the approximate streamfunction gives
in the leading small-friction limit. Hence the velocity is strongly southward at the west wall, crosses zero after a few Stommel boundary layer widths, and approaches a much weaker northward interior value . The leading zero is when .
For plotting or finite-friction evaluation, use the exact derivative
It increases monotonically from its negative western value to its positive eastern value because . Moreover , as required for a closed basin.
Figure 1.
Equatorial northward velocity profile: exact linear-drag solution and leading Stommel boundary layer approximation
. Details.

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