Shallow-water quasi-geostrophic inversion ($[{\nabla }_h^2-L_D^{-2}]\psi =q-\beta y$)

The shallow-water quasi-geostrophic potential vorticity relation is a modified Helmholtz equation for the quasi-geostrophic streamfunction. Its inverse with specified boundary conditions recovers horizontal geostrophic flow and surface elevation $\eta =f_0\psi /g$. The Rossby deformation radius $L_D=\sqrt{gH}/|f_0|$ is the range of the balanced response: for a horizontal Fourier component, $\hat{\psi }=-\hat{q}/(|{\mathbf{k}}_h{|}^2+L_D^{-2})$, after subtracting background potential vorticity.