On the applicability of linear wave theories to simulations on the mid-latitude β-plane

Abstract. The applicability of one-dimensional (zonally invariant) harmonic and trapped wave theories for Inertia-Gravity waves to simulations on the mid-latitude β-plane is examined by comparing the analytical estimates in the geostrophic adjustment and Ekman adjustment problems with numerical simulations of the linearized rotating shallow water equations. The spatial average of the absolute differences between the theoretical solutions and the simulations, ε(t), is calculated for values of the domain's north-south extent, L, ranging from L = 4 to L = 60 (where L is measured in units of the deformation radius). The comparisons show that: (i) Though ε oscillates with time, its low-pass filter, ε^LP(t), increases with time. (ii) In small domains, ε^LP(t) in harmonic theory is significantly smaller than in trapped wave theory, while the opposite occurs in large domains. (iii) The accuracy of the harmonic wave theory decreases with L for 0 < L < 20, while for L > 20 the trend changes with time. (iv) The accuracy of the trapped wave theory increases with L in the geostrophic adjustment problem, while in the Ekman adjustment problem, its best accuracy is obtained when L ≈ 30. (v) There is a range of L and t values for which no theory provides reasonable approximations, and this range is wider in the Ekman adjustment problem than in the geostrophic adjustment problem. Non-linear simulations of a multilayered stratified ocean show that internal inertia-gravity waves exhibit the same characteristics as the wave solutions of the linearized rotating shallow water equations in a single layer ocean.