Abstract
“Dynamics of long waves in a baroclinic westerly current” was Jule Charney’s first major contribution to dynamic meteorology.1 It also marks the emergence of the theory of baroclinic instability to explain the existence of fluctuations in the atmospheric general circulation.
* Revision of a contribution to the Charney memorial symposium at MIT, March 1983.
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References
Charney, J. G., 1947: Dynamics of long waves in a baroclinic westerly current. J. Meteor., 4, 135–162. This was certainly Charney’s first contribution to dynamic meteorology. He had earlier published a survey of atmospheric radiation in the Handbook of Meteorology. He once remarked to me that he considered that early article to be merely a “pot boiler,” and I think it accurate to consider his 194 7 paper to be his first original contribution.
Charney, J. G., 1975: Jacob Bjerknes—an appreciation. Selected Papers of Jacob Aall Bonnevie Bjerknes, 11–13. Western Periodicals Company, North Hollywood, California.
Bjerknes, J., and J. Holmboe, 1944: On the theory of cyclones. J. Meteor., 1, 1–22. The modern scientist can only marvel at the interval between the date of receipt of the manuscript, 21 August 1944, and the publication date of September of that same year!
Orlanski, I., 1968: Instability of frontal waves. J. Atmos. Sci., 25, 178–200.
Rossby, C.-G., et al., 1939: Relation between variations in the intensity of the zonal circulation of the atmosphere and the displacements of the semi-permanent centers of action. J. Marine Res., 2, 38–55.
Bjerknes, J., 1937: Theorie der aussertropischen Zyklonenbildung. Meteor. Zeit., 54, 462–466.
For example, there is the contemporary stability analysis of Jaw, Jeow-Jang, 1946: The formation of the semipermanent centers of action in relation to the horizontal solenoidal field, J. Meteor., 3, 103–114, in which the change of absolute, vertical vorticity is erroneously ascribed solely to the vertical component of the solenoidal vector.
Miles, J. W., 1964: Baroclinic instability of the zonal wind. Rev. Geophys., 2, 155–176.
Miles, J. W., 1964: A note on Charney’s model of zonal-wind instability. J. Atmos. Sci., 21, 451–452.
Phillips, N. A., 1951: A simple three-dimensional model for the study of large-scale extratropical flow patterns. J. Meteor., 8, 381–394.
27. Kuo, H.-L., 1952: Three-dimensional disturbances in a baroclinic zonal current. J. Meteor., 9, 260–278.
Eady, E. T., 1948: Discussion [of “A contribution to the problem of development,” by R. C. Sutcliffe]. Quart. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc., 74, 180. J. S. A. Green notes (Private communication, 1982), that Eady “certainly was inspired by J. Bjerknes and C. L. Godske initially through their writing.… ” It would appear, therefore, that Bjerknes’s influence on the problem ofbaroclinic instability was manifested, at least indirectly, through the work of both Charney and Eady.
Sutcliffe, R. C., 1951: The quasi-geostrophic advective wave in a baroclinic zonal current. Quart. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc., 77, 226–234.
Eady, E. T., 1949: Long waves and cyclone waves. Tellus, 1 (3), 33–52. The reference to Charney’s paper is made within the text. Eady’s paper has no bibliography!
Charney, J. G., and A. Eliassen, 1949: A numerical method for predicting the perturbations of the middle latitude westerlies. Tellus, 1( 2), 38–54.
32. Charney, J. G., 1948: On the scale of atmospheric motions. Geofys. Pub., 17(2), 17 pp.
Green, J. S. A., 1960: A problem in baroclinic stability. Quart. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc., 86, 237–251.
Burger, A. P., 1962: On the non-existence of critical wavelengths in a continuous baroclinic stability problem. J. Atmos. Sci., 19, 30–32.
37. Charney, J. G., 1953: On baroclinic instability and the maintenance of the kinetic energy of the westerlies. In Proc. I.U.G.G. Ninth General Assembly, August 1951, 47–63. Brussels, IAM 9/C, 413 pp.
Charney, J. G., and M. E. Stern, 1962: On the stability of internal baroclinic jets in a rotating atmosphere. J. Atmos. Sci., 19, 159–172.
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Pedlosky, J. (1990). Baroclinic Instability: The Charney Paradigm*. In: Lindzen, R.S., Lorenz, E.N., Platzman, G.W. (eds) The Atmosphere — A Challenge. American Meteorological Society, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-944970-35-2_10
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