Barotropy
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Barotropy
The state of a fluid in which surfaces of constant density (or
temperature) are coincident with surfaces of constant pressure; it is the
state of zero baroclinity.
Mathematically, the equation of barotropy states that the gradients of the
density and pressure fields are proportional:
Missing Image:IMG height=13
src="equat/rhosm.gif"
width=11 is the density; p is the pressure; and B is a function
of thermodynamic variables, called the coefficient of barotropy.
With the equation
of state, this relation determines the spatial distribution of all state
parameters once these are specified on any surface. For a homogeneous
atmosphere, B=0; for an adiabatic
atmosphere,
cv and cp are the specific heats at constant volume and pressure, respectively; R is the gas constant; and T is the Kelvin temperature; for an isothermal atmosphere, B = 1/RT.
References
This article is based on NASA's Dictionary of Technical Terms for Aerospace Use
