English Explanatory Dictionary

Kelvin wave

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A non-dispersive wave in the ocean or atmosphere that balances the Earth's Coriolis force against a topographic boundary such as a coastline, or a waveguide such as the equator.
  2. A long-scale perturbation mode of a vortex in superfluid dynamics.

Word forms

Kelvin wave Kelvin waves

Etymology

Named after Lord Kelvin, the discoverer (1879).

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