Potential vorticity

Potential vorticity

A materially conserved quantity in adiabatic, frictionless flow that accounts for changes of vorticity due to vortex line stretching and Coriolis effects. In the shallow water approximation, the potential vorticity is q=(f+zeta)/(H+eta), in which f is the Coriolis parameter, zeta is the relative vorticity, H is the mean fluid depth, and eta is the surface elevation above the mean.

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Industry/Domain: Earth science
Category: Oceanography
Company: Marine Conservation Society
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