McKenzie, J. F.Webb, G. M.2015-02-122015-02-122014-11-24McKenzie, J.F. and Webb, G.M. 2014. Rossby waves in an azimuthal wind. Geophysical & Astrophysical Fluid Dynamics. 109(1) : 21-38.0309-19291029-0419http://hdl.handle.net/10321/1225Rossby waves in an azimuthal wind are analyzed using an eigen-function expansion. Solutions of the wave equation for the stream-function ψ for Rossby waves are obtained in which ψ depends on (r,φ,t) where r is the cylindrical radius, φ is the azimuthal angle measured in the β plane relative to the Easterly direction, (the β-plane is locally horizontal to the Earth’s surface in which the x-axis points East, and the y-axis points North). The radial eigenfunctions in the β-plane are Bessel functions of order n and argument kr,where k is a characteristic wave number and have the form anJn(kr) in which the an satisfy recurrence relations involving an+1, an,andan−1. The recurrence relations for the an have solutions in terms of Bessel functions of order n − ω/Ω where ω is the frequency of the wave and Ω is the angular velocity of the wind and argument a = β/(kΩ). By summing the Bessel function series, the complete solution for ψ reduces to a single Bessel function of the first kind of order ω/Ω. The argument of the Bessel function is a complicated expression depending on r, φ, a, and kr. These solutions of the Rossby wave equation can be interpreted as being due to wave-wave interactions in a locally rotating wind about the local vertical direction. The physical characteristics of the rotating wind Rossby waves are investigated in the long and short wavelength limits; in the limit as the azimuthal wind velocity Vw → 0; and in the zero frequency limit ω → 0 in which one obtains a stationary spatial pattern for the waves. The vorticity structure of the waves are investigated. Time dependent solutions with ω = 0 are also investigated.20 penRossby wavesAzimuthal windFourier-FloquetArticlehttp://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03091929.2014.986473