Numerical studies of baroclinic instability at small Richardson number

Baroclinic instability at small Richardson number consists of competition between symmetric (Solberg) modes, zonal (Eady) modes, and possibly other modes whose orientation is neither symmetric nor zonal. In FY-84, a study of the fully nonlinear development and energetics of the symmetric modes was completed. The nonlinear effects were quite strong and, in some senses, unexpected. Secondly, a study of the dependency of the energetics of the symmetric modes upon the physical parameters was completed.