For the equatorial Kelvin wave, set . The zonal momentum and mass equations give . Meridional trapping selects the eastward branch
for which
The westward algebraic branch would grow away from the equator and is rejected.
For , let . The zonal momentum and mass equations give
Substitution in meridional geostrophic balance and use of the stated Hermite differential equation gives the trapped Equatorial Rossby-wave dispersion relation
For , define , , and take
Then
Without imposing meridional geostrophic balance, the equatorial shallow-water modes satisfy the Matsuno cubic
A dispersion diagram therefore contains high-frequency eastward and westward equatorial inertia--gravity waves as well as westward equatorial Rossby waves, plus the separate straight equatorial Kelvin wave branch . The Rossby curves approach only in the long-wave limit and bend toward zero like at short wavelength. The geostrophic model retains the Kelvin and long-wave Rossby lines but filters the inertia--gravity modes and misses Rossby-wave dispersion at larger .
Figure 1.
Equatorial shallow-water dispersion for meridional mode n equals 1
. The three roots of the Matsuno cubic give two inertia--gravity branches and one Rossby branch. The Kelvin line and the long-wave geostrophic Rossby approximation are shown separately.