Abstract
The transport properties of stationary waves superposed on a basic zonal current with horizontal and vertical shears in a rotating stratified fluid are discussed.
The wave momentum fluxes are derived directly from equations of motion, by introducing the Lagrangian displacements into the Eulerian formulations. The wave momentum consists of two parts; one is the relative (to the rotating system) zonal momentum of a fluid particle, and the other is the momentum excess or deficit due to the meridional displacement of the particle. It is shown that the meridional mass flux is proportional to the vertical transport of momentum excess or deficit due to the meridional displacement. If the mass flux is directed southwards, the momentum deficit is transported upwards.
It is shown that the zonal component of wave momentum flux is solenoidal in the meridional plane and that the physical meaning of the Eliassen-Palm's (1961) stream function is that of zonal mementum flux.
It is also shown that the divergence of wave energy flux is given by the inner product of the wave momentum flux and the velocity gradient tensor of the basic zonal current. This implies that the concept of momentum radiation by wave may be still appropriate and useful in the rotating case.
