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In a log-pressure coordinate, quasi-geostrophic potential vorticity uses density-weighted vertical stretching. For stratification $N^2=RS/H$ and geostrophic flow ${\mathbf{u}}_g=(-{\psi }_y,{\psi }_x,0)$, the inviscid equation is $D_{g}q/Dt=0$. Combining horizontal vorticity balance with the thermal equation eliminates ageostrophic flow and gives this conservation law.

For the proposed plane wave, define the positive squared effective wavenumberThe horizontal Laplacian contributes $-(k^2+l^2){\psi }^{\prime }$ and the vertical stretching operator contributes $-(f_0^2/N^2)m^2{\psi }^{\prime }$. Substitution in the Linear Rossby-wave equation therefore givesThe intrinsic phase velocity is westward for positive $\beta$. A stationary disturbance with $\omega =0$ and $k\ne 0$ must have its westward intrinsic phase velocity exactly cancelled by the eastward background current. Solving for the squared vertical wavenumber yieldsFor Earth, with northward $y$, $\beta =2\Omega \cos \varphi /a>0$ in both hemispheres away from the poles. Thus an oscillatory vertical structure requiresThe background flow must be eastward but not too strong for the chosen horizontal scale. Long horizontal wavelengths have the largest allowed speed. An easterly current, $U<0$, gives $m^2<0$ and an evanescent wave; so does an eastward current exceeding the upper bound. At equality $m=0$ and the vertical group velocity vanishes. A zonally uniform disturbance, $k=0$, is a degenerate stationary pattern with no vertical Rossby wave energy propagation, so it cannot be obtained by cancelling $k$ in the preceding calculation.

A real $m$ alone does not select upward propagation. Differentiate the dispersion relation at fixed $k,l$ to obtain the vertical group velocity:The outgoing radiation condition for a surface source requiresFor the convention $k>0$, take $m>0$. The stationary phase lines then obey $dx/dz=-m/k<0$: they tilt westward with height while wave energy travels upward. The real conjugate component $(-k,-l,-m)$ describes the same physical upward-propagating wave.

The figure suggests a winter extratropical path from the lower terrestrial atmosphere into the stratosphere, where the mean zonal flow is eastward. The summer stratosphere has westward flow and blocks such stationary Rossby waves in this idealization. A zero-wind surface is a stationary-wave critical layer in a shear flow; it also bounds the winter westerlies aloft near the upper part of the diagram. For a slowly varying real wind profile, local propagation needs $m^2(z)>0$ along the path, sufficient surface forcing, and no intervening absorbing critical layer in a shear flow. A layer where the eastward wind becomes too strong is a turning barrier for the given horizontal wavenumbers. The uniform-current result is a local guide, not a complete prediction through a sheared spherical terrestrial atmosphere.

For scale, at $60^{\circ }$ latitude $\beta \simeq 1.14\times 10^{-11}{\mathrm{m}}^{-1}{\mathrm{s}}^{-1}$. A planetary zonal wavenumber $s$ has local $k=s/(a\cos \varphi )$. Taking $l=0$ gives the most permissive limitThe resulting limits are approximately $116$, $29$ and $13\mathrm{m}{\mathrm{s}}^{-1}$ for $s=1,2,3$. Therefore the long planetary waves are favored; the strong core of the winter vortex can exclude shorter ones even though it is westerly. Nonzero meridional wavenumber lowers these limits further. A compressible log-pressure coordinate model would also contain a density-scale-height correction; it is absent from the equation supplied here and should not be silently inserted.

Interchanging the Northern and Southern Hemispheres changes the sign of $f_0$, but only $f_0^2$ enters the dispersion relation and vertical group velocity. With the same eastward $x$ and northward $y$, $\beta$ stays positive. Thus the propagation criterion is the same in both hemispheres: it selects the winter westerlies, irrespective of which hemisphere is winter. Actual amplitudes can differ because mountains, land-sea contrasts, forcing spectra and mean winds differ between hemispheres; those source differences do not reverse this propagation criterion.

Let $D_g={\partial }_t+{\mathbf{u}}_g\cdot {\nabla }_h$, $\psi =\tilde{\Phi }/f_0$, and ${\mathbf{u}}_g=(-{\psi }_y,{\psi }_x,0)$. The hydrostatic and thermal equations combine to giveTaking the vertical curl of the horizontal momentum equations to leading quasi-geostrophic order givesThe log-pressure coordinate continuity equation gives ${\nabla }_h\cdot {\mathbf{u}}_{a,h}=-e^{z/H}{\partial }_z(e^{-z/H}w)$. Substitute $w=-f_0{D}_g{\psi }_z/N^2$. In commuting the vertical derivative with $D_g$, the extra term is ${\mathbf{u}}_{g,z}\cdot {\nabla }_h{\psi }_z=(-{\psi }_{yz},{\psi }_{xz})\cdot ({\psi }_{xz},{\psi }_{yz})=0$. Therefore the log-pressure quasi-geostrophic potential vorticity equation is

The required small parameters have distinct roles. The Rossby number ${ϵ}_R=U/(|f_0|L)$ makes inertial acceleration small relative to the leading geostrophic balance. The parameter ${ϵ}_{\beta }=\beta L/|f_0|$ lets that leading balance use a single $f_0$ while retaining the beta effect in the slower vorticity evolution. Finally, $\psi \sim UL$ and the thermal equation imply $w\sim |f_0|U^2/(N^{2}D)$. Density-weighted continuity has vertical derivative scale $1/\delta$, where $\delta =\min (D,H)$, so $|{\mathbf{u}}_{a,h}|\sim Lw/\delta$. The vertical-advection consistency criterion for log-pressure quasi-geostrophy is thusIt also controls the omitted vertical-advection ratio $wL/(UD)\sim {ϵ}_a\delta /D$. Small Rossby number alone would not ensure small ageostrophic flow for every choice of stratification and vertical scales.

For constant $N$, linearization about rest givesPutting $\psi =\mathrm{Re}[{\hat{\psi }}_c{e}^{z/(2H)}{e}^{i(kx+mz-\omega t)}]$ replaces the vertical operator by $-m^2-1/(4H^2)$. Consequently the Rossby wave in a log-pressure atmosphere has

For the forced half-space, substitution of the specified ansatz givesAssume $\beta >0$ and $k>0$, and define ${\omega }_{\ast }=-\beta k/[k^2+f_0^2/(4N^2{H}^2)]<0$.

If $\omega >0$ or $\omega <{\omega }_{\ast }$, then $m^2<0$. Boundedness excludes the growing solution and uniquely selects $\boxed{\hat{\chi }={\Psi }_b{e}^{-\sqrt{-m^2}z}}$. If $\omega ={\omega }_{\ast }$, boundedness excludes the linear-in-$z$ solution, leaving $\hat{\chi }={\Psi }_b$; this is the zero-vertical-wavenumber threshold.

If ${\omega }_{\ast }<\omega <0$, both oscillatory solutions are bounded. Boundedness alone does not give a unique propagating solution. With forcing at the bottom and no incident wave from above, impose an upward radiation condition. Sincepositive $m$ has upward group velocity. The outgoing solution is $\boxed{\hat{\chi }={\Psi }_b{e}^{imz},m=\sqrt{m^2}>0}$. The physical streamfunction includes the prescribed $e^{z/(2H)}$ density-weighting factor; it is the amplitude $\hat{\chi }$ that must remain bounded.

Thus the strict range for vertically propagating waves isAt $\omega =0$, the unforced steady interior equation requires $\beta {\psi }_x=0$, so a nonzero $k$ bottom streamfunction cannot have a time-independent solution of this ideal rest-state problem without additional dynamics.

An atmospheric vertical coordinate using pressure instead of geometric height. Under hydrostatic balance, pressure decreases upward and geopotential obeys ${\partial }_p\Phi =-1/\rho$. With the ideal gas law, ${\partial }_{\ln p}\Phi =-RT$. Horizontal gradients taken at fixed $p$ lie on an isobaric surface. A log-pressure coordinate is a useful related coordinate with the opposite upward sign.