Abstract
The comparative study of simplified versions of the equations governing barotropic flow in 1) the f-plane, 2) the β-plane, 3) the spherical surface, leads to a new interpretation of the stabilizing effect of the β-term on the long waves. The relevant observation is that although in the long-wave region the momentum convergence has a large amplitude, its time frequency is also large, so that no significant energy conversion can be performed.
Present affiliation: Meteorological Service of Canada.
