Edge-wave phase-shifts versus normal-mode phase-tilts in an Eady problem with a sloping boundary

TL;DR

This paper clarifies the mechanistic role of edge-wave phase-shifts versus normal-mode phase-tilts in baroclinic instability within a modified Eady problem, emphasizing the importance of edge-wave phase-shifts for understanding instability mechanisms.

Contribution

It demonstrates that edge-wave phase-shifts are more relevant than normal-mode phase-tilts for mechanistic interpretation of baroclinic instability in a sloped boundary setting.

Findings

Edge-wave phase-shifts correlate strongly with geometric framework diagnostics.

Normal-mode phase-tilts can be misleading for mechanistic interpretation.

The modified Eady problem exhibits parity-time symmetry, linking shear instability and edge-wave interactions.

Abstract

One mechanistic interpretation of baroclinic instability is that of mutual constructive interference of Rossby edge-waves. While the two edge-waves and their relative phase-shifts are invoked as part of the mechanistic interpretation, the phase-tilts of the related normal modes are often presented instead. Here we highlight the differences between edge-wave phase-shifts and normal-mode phase-tilts, in the context of an Eady problem modified by the presence of a sloping boundary. We argue and present evidence that the normal-mode phase-tilt is potentially a misleading quantity to use, and edge-wave phase-shifts should be the ones that are mechanistically relevant. We also provide a clarification for the mechanistic rationalization for baroclinic instability in the presence of slopes (such as suppression of growth rates) that is valid over all parameter space, in contrast to previous attempts. We further present evidence that there is a strong correlation between quantities diagnosed from the GEOMETRIC framework with the edge-wave phase-shifts, but not the normal-mode phase-tilts. The result is noteworthy in that the geometric framework makes no explicit reference to the edge-wave structures in its construction, but the correlation suggests that in problems where edge-wave structures are not so well-defined or readily available, the GEOMETRIC framework should still capture mechanistic and dynamical information. Some implications for parameterization of baroclinic instability and relevant eddy-mean feedbacks are discussed. For completeness, we also provide an explicit demonstration that the linear instability problem of the present modified Eady problem is parity-time symmetric, and speculate on some suggestive links between parity-time symmetry, shear instability, and the edge-wave interaction mechanism.