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The horizontal velocities $u$ and $v$ point east and north, $\eta$ is the displacement of the free surface from its mean level, $H_0$ is the undisturbed depth, $g$ is gravitational acceleration, and $f$ is the constant Coriolis parameter on an f-plane. The three linearized shallow water equations are horizontal momentum balance and mass conservation:They follow from the rotating Navier-Stokes equation by assuming an inviscid homogeneous layer, hydrostatic pressure, horizontal scales much larger than $H_0$, depth-independent horizontal velocity, a flat impermeable bottom, constant $f$, and small surface displacement and velocity so that nonlinear products are neglected.

In a steady state, geostrophic balance givesThe relative vorticity is $\zeta =v_x-u_y$. Expanding the shallow-water potential vorticity $(f+\zeta )/(H_0+\eta )$ to first order givesThus one convenient normalization of its disturbance isTaking the curl of momentum and using continuity shows $q_t=0$.

Solved by gpt-5.6-sol high.