On the possibility of barotropic instability over northeast Brazil

Vadlamudi Brahmananda Rao; Valdo da Silva Marques; José Paulo Bonatti

doi:10.3402/tellusa.v36i2.11614

On the possibility of barotropic instability over northeast Brazil

Tellus

Volume 36 (1984): Issue 2

By: Vadlamudi Brahmananda Rao, Valdo da Silva Marques and José Paulo Bonatti

Open Access

|Jan 1984

Abstract

The easterly zonal wind profile over northeast Brazil during the rainy season of a heavy rainfall year satisfies the necessary condition for the existence of barotropic instability. The wave with a wavelength of 1250 km has the highest growth rate, 1.6 times 10^-6 s^-1 (e—folding time of about 6 days). The zonal wind profile is found to be stable during a dry year. This suggests that it is likely that barotropic instability might contribute to the interannual variations of rainfall over northeast Brazil.

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Articles in this issue

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3402/tellusa.v36i2.11614 | Journal eISSN: 3035-9554

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Language: English

Page range: 207 - 210

Submitted on: Oct 20, 1982

Accepted on: May 31, 1983

Published on: Jan 1, 1984

Published by: Stockholm University Press

In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services

© 1984 Vadlamudi Brahmananda Rao, Valdo da Silva Marques, José Paulo Bonatti, published by Stockholm University Press
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Volume 36 (1984): Issue 2