In accretion disks, an instability partially named after this scientist can cause a non-axisymmetric pressure bump to develop. For 10 points each:
[10m] What Swedish-American meteorologist names waves that occur in rotating fluids and a dimensionless number relating the inertial and Coriolis forces?
ANSWER: Carl-Gustaf Rossby [or Carl-Gustaf Arvid Rossby; accept Rossby waves or Rossby wave instability]
[10e] The pressure bump caused by the Rossby wave instability consists of these features. Rossby waves perturb the Earth’s “polar” one of these regions of circular fluid flow.
ANSWER: vortices [or vortex; accept polar vortex]
[10h] On Earth, Rossby waves always have a westward value of this quantity regardless of their direction of propagation. This quantity equals angular velocity divided by wavenumber.
ANSWER: phase velocity [prompt on velocity]
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