In paper 2, I examine the motion of a vortex on the beta-plane as an initial-value problem. This is a model for the propagation of a hurricane on the Earth’s surface. The coupling to the Rossby wave field is critical to this problem. In paper 14, I consider the waves emitted by a translating source on the beta-plane.
The evolution of the beta-gyres characteristic of the hurricane problem is governed by a relative of the Rayleigh equation from hydrodynamic stability theory. In paper 1, I examine the stability properties of mode-one disturbances to a circular vortex.
A related problem is that of the evolution of vortices with no normal modes, such as the Gaussian vortex. In paper 15, we examine how disturbances to these vortices do (or do not) axisymmetrize using an asymptotic method.
This work was supported by NERC, Queens' College and the National Science Foundation.