The viscous boundary layer at the free surface of a rotating baroclinic fluid: effects due to the temperature dependence of surface tension

A theoretical study is made of the effects due to the dependence on temperature (T) of the coefficient of surface tension (S) on the flow in the viscous boundary layer at the free surface of a baroclinic fluid which rotates rapidly about a vertical axis. Although each component of the flow is altered by an amount of the order of the corresponding ageostrophic component arising when dS/dT = 0 multiplied by the dimension-less parameter C ≡ 2 Ω. (dS/dT)/(gαᵨ₀v) (where Ω is the rate of rotation of the system, g the acceleration of gravity, and ᵨ₀, v and α denote, respectively, the mean density, kinematic viscosity and thermal coefficient of cubical expansion of the fluid), when the interior flow is strictly geostrophic boundary layer suction remains unaffected.