Rossby and collaborators: how planetary waves move through the westerlies

What changed

Thelatitude-gradientvorticitymechanism givesanexplicitrelationshipbetweenzonalwind,wavelengthandpatternspeedandboundedstationary-waveconditions.

Scientific scope

Thelatitude-gradientvorticitymechanism givesanexplicitrelationshipbetweenzonalwind,wavelengthandpatternspeedandboundedstationary-waveconditions. The wave calculation linearizes idealized horizontal flow around a specified zonal background with a constant Coriolis gradient. Latitude-dependent shear, forcing and depth corrections need additional approximations; some extensions in the original remain incomplete. Weather illustrations are not causal proof or held-out forecast skill. The source’s collective and individually named contributors retain their distinct roles.

Evidence

Source-linked, scoped account of the original work. The published scope states the scientific assumptions and remaining verification limits. WRS has not independently certified the full proof, experimental result or system benchmark.

Contributors

• Carl-Gustaf Rossby · SCIENCE: Original source-listed scientific author of this scoped work; byline does not determine effort fractions.

• Rossby and collaborators: Relation between zonal circulation and centers of action(1939), original 38–55
• Yale JMR 1939 repositorymetadata and expanded recommended citation

Provisional WRS assessment, edition 2026-10-16.1. Independent expert calibration is pending. This grade does not certify correctness or assign ownership.

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