Journal of the Meteorological Society of Japan. Ser. II
Online ISSN : 2186-9057
Print ISSN : 0026-1165
ISSN-L : 0026-1165
Notes and Correspondence
Chimeric Equatorial Waves as a Better Descriptor for “Convectively-Coupled Equatorial Waves”
Winston C. CHAO
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2007 Volume 85 Issue 4 Pages 521-524

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Abstract
The term “convectively-coupled Kelvin waves” is misleading. That is because these waves have Rossby-wave components, comparable to their Kelvin-wave components and, in fact, bear a close resemblance to the Gill solution with a moving heating source. A better alternative would be to call these waves chimeric Kelvin waves, to signify their combined nature and the fact that they are implicitly convectively-coupled. By extension, chimeric Rossby waves and chimeric mixed Rossby-gravity waves would be better alternatives to “convectively-coupled Rossby waves” and “convectively-coupled mixed Rossby-gravity waves,” respectively. Collectively, these waves can be called chimeric equatorial waves. Recognizing the above misleading terms can help avoid confusion.
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© 2007 by Meteorological Society of Japan
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