Knowledge Bank

Geophysical fluid flows over short obstacles in mid-latitude systems experience disturbances due to the Coriolis force created by the rotation of the earth. These Rossby waves radiate downstream with a wave length several times the diameter of the obstacle. Previous studies at The Ohio State University have examined this phenomenon using a beta-plane approximation which linearizes the Coriolis force about the point of the obstacle. The most recent of these is M. L. Bryant and M. R. Foster, 2003. The findings of these studies could not be validated through laboratory testing since they were computed for an open (boundaryless) flow. The effects of the side walls necessary for a controlled test were unknown. Here we numerically reevaluate the previously considered problem with the added the effect of sidewalls. With its results, the physical problem modeled can be easily reproduced to confirm the study’s findings.