What Is the Oceanic Kelvin Wave & Rossby Radius Calculator?
A Kelvin wave is a special type of long gravity wave that balances pressure gradient against the Coriolis force perpendicular to a boundary.
Along a coastline, it propagates with the coast on its right in the Northern Hemisphere (on its left in the Southern Hemisphere).
How Does the Oceanic Kelvin Wave & Rossby Radius Calculator Work?
The wave amplitude decays exponentially away from the coast with an e-folding scale equal to the Rossby radius of deformation R = c / |f|.
Because velocity perpendicular to the boundary is identically zero, the wave is completely nondispersive.
Oceanic Kelvin Wave & Rossby Radius Calculator Formula & Variables
The core mathematical equation utilized by this calculator is expressed as:
Barotropic Kelvin wave phase speed and Rossby radius of deformation.
How to Use the Oceanic Kelvin Wave & Rossby Radius Calculator
- Input ocean depth and latitude.
- Inspect phase speed in m/s and km/h, and Rossby radius of deformation.
Step-by-Step Example Calculation
Deep Ocean Barotropic Kelvin Wave
Input Values:
Understanding Your Result
Barotropic surface Kelvin waves propagate at hundreds of km/h, dictating amphitheater tidal amphidromes.
Factors That Affect the Result
- Internal baroclinic Kelvin waves travel much slower (1–3 m/s) because reduced gravity g’ is ~0.1% of g.
When Should You Use This Calculator?
- Tidal resonance studies, storm surge modeling, and ENSO equatorial Pacific wave tracking.
Assumptions & Limitations
- Assumes linear shallow water wave theory on a flat-bottom ocean.
Frequently Asked Questions
Calculation Accuracy & Reference Note
Standard oceanographic wave dispersion formulation.