Editing Rossby wave (section)

===Oceanic waves===
Oceanic Rossby waves are large-scale waves within an ocean basin. They have a low amplitude, in the order of centimetres (at the surface) to metres (at the thermocline), compared with atmospheric Rossby waves which are in the order of hundreds of kilometres. They may take months to cross an ocean basin. They gain [[momentum]] from [[wind stress]] at the ocean surface layer and are thought to communicate climatic changes due to variability in [[harmonic oscillator|forcing]], due to both the [[wind]] and [[buoyancy]]. Off-equatorial Rossby waves are believed to propagate through eastward-propagating [[Kelvin wave|Kelvin waves]] that upwell against [[Ocean current|Eastern Boundary Currents]], while equatorial Kelvin waves are believed to derive some of their energy from the reflection of Rossby waves against Western Boundary Currents.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Battisti |first=David S. |date=April 1989 |title=On the Role of Off-Equatorial Oceanic Rossby Waves during ENSO |url=https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/phoc/19/4/1520-0485_1989_019_0551_otrooe_2_0_co_2.xml?tab_body=pdf |journal=Journal of Physical Oceanography |volume=19.4 |pages=551-560}}</ref> 

Both barotropic and baroclinic waves cause variations of the sea surface height, although the length of the waves made them difficult to detect until the advent of [[satellite]] [[altimetry]]. [[Satellite]] observations have confirmed the existence of oceanic Rossby waves.<ref name="Chelton1996">{{cite journal |doi=10.1126/science.272.5259.234 |title=Global Observations of Oceanic Rossby Waves |year=1996 |last1=Chelton |first1=D. B. |last2=Schlax |first2=M. G. |journal=Science |volume=272 |issue=5259 |pages=234|bibcode = 1996Sci...272..234C |s2cid=126953559 }}</ref>

Baroclinic waves also generate significant displacements of the oceanic [[thermocline]], often of tens of meters. Satellite observations have revealed the stately progression of Rossby waves across all the [[ocean basin]]s, particularly at low- and mid-latitudes. Due to the [[Beta plane|beta effect]], transit times of Rossby waves increase with latitude. In a basin like the [[Pacific Ocean|Pacific]], waves travelling at the equator may take months, while closer to the poles transit may take decades.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Chelton |first=Dudley B. |last2=Schlax |first2=Michael B. |date=1996 |title=Global Observations of Oceanic Rossby Waves |url=https://www.ocean.washington.edu/courses/oc513/Chelton.Science.1996.pdf |journal=Science |volume=272 |issue=5259 |pages=234-238}}</ref>

Rossby waves have been suggested as an important mechanism to account for the heating of [[Europa (moon)#Subsurface ocean|the ocean on Europa]], a moon of [[Jupiter]].<ref name="Tyler2008">{{cite journal |doi=10.1038/nature07571 |title=Strong ocean tidal flow and heating on moons of the outer planets |year=2008 |last1=Tyler |first1=Robert H. |journal=Nature |volume=456 |issue=7223 |pages=770–2 |pmid=19079055|bibcode = 2008Natur.456..770T |s2cid=205215528 }}</ref>