F-plane

From Glossary of Meteorology



f-plane

A local approximation of the spherical earth as a plane normal to the zenithal component of the earth's rotation.

The rotation rate f is assumed to be constant on the plane. This approximation is valid in describing atmospheric or oceanic motions with time scales smaller than or comparable to 1/f.


Copyright 2024 American Meteorological Society (AMS). For permission to reuse any portion of this work, please contact permissions@ametsoc.org. Any use of material in this work that is determined to be “fair use” under Section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Act (17 U.S. Code § 107) or that satisfies the conditions specified in Section 108 of the U.S.Copyright Act (17 USC § 108) does not require AMS’s permission. Republication, systematic reproduction, posting in electronic form, such as on a website or in a searchable database, or other uses of this material, except as exempted by the above statement, require written permission or a license from AMS. Additional details are provided in the AMS Copyright Policy statement.