Stability Theory for Oceanic & Atmospheric Flows

3-0-9 units · Graduate

Basic theory of hydrodynamic instability with special application to flows of interest in oceanography and meteorology. Topics covered include general formulation of stability theory; concept of normal modes and linearization; fundamental stability theorems; baroclinic instability: Charney model, Eady model and the Phillips two-layer model; energy transformations; initial value theory and non-modal instability; barotropic instability for jets and shear layers; radiating instabilities; initial value problems applied to the concepts of convective, absolute and spatial instabilities; finite amplitude theory; stability of non-parallel flows.