SYNOPTIC SCALE FORCING OF COASTAL LOWS.

A barotropic primitive equation model on an equatorial beta-plane is employed to study the scattering of an eastward propagating mid-latitude disturbance at an impermeable eastern boundary. An impermeable eastern boundary is included to model the blocking of the low-level flow by the orography. The forcing of the motion by mid-latitude disturbances is modeled by a prescribed eastward propagating zonal wind field. The forcing has a 6-day period with zonal wavenumber 6. It is shown that the boundary response is trapped next to the eastern boundary and is structurally similar to a coastal Kelvin wave. The choice of an equatorial beta-plane enables the possibility of an interhemispheric connection to be examined.