Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2024 / iii / Paper 333 / 1 / a

At latitude ${\theta }_0$, resolve the planetary angular velocity asFor velocity $(u,v,w)$, the Coriolis acceleration isThe traditional approximation drops the terms involving the horizontal rotation component $\Omega \cos {\theta }_0$. The retained horizontal force is thereforeIts direct velocity-scale requirement isFor an incompressible flow, $W/U=O(H/L)$, so a sufficient condition istogether with the small aspect ratio that makes hydrostatic pressure the leading vertical momentum balance. The approximation consequently becomes delicate near the equator.

The beta plane is the local Taylor expansionwhereand $a$ is the planetary radius. It requires a local Cartesian region,and $H/a\ll 1$. Away from the equator, treating the variation as a perturbation of an f-plane also requires $\beta L/|f_0|\ll 1$; near the equator one instead retains the linear term as the leading Coriolis parameter.