The Zakharov-Kuznetsov Equation as a Two-Dimensional Model for Nonlinear Rossby Waves

Abstract

We study the dynamics of two-dimensional coherent structures in planetary atmospheres and oceans. We derive the Zakharov-Kuznetsov equation for large scale motion from the barotropic quasigeostrophic equation in a weakly nonlinear, long wave approximation. We consider coherent structures emerging out of an instability caused by a narrow jet-like meanflow. We use multiple scale analysis combined with asymptotic matching.