Computational solutions of introductory atmospheric dynamics problems

Among Jim Holton's many contributions to our field was the seminal textbook "An Introduction to Dynamic Meteorology." In this presentation we explore one of the core topics of that textbook, the gradient wind, using computational methods.

Our surprisingly non-trivial results include: three families of iterative solutions that converge to the normal or the anomalous analytic solutions; the resolution of a decades-old enigma regarding numerical solutions of the nonlinear balance equation; and indications of chaos in some solution families.

The unexpected richness of numerical solutions of the gradient wind equation suggests new avenues for atmospheric dynamics pedagogy that are rooted in the dynamics canon Holton helped establish.