Thermal rossby number

thermal Rossby number

The nondimensional ratio of the inertial force due to the thermal wind and the Coriolis force in the flow of a fluid heated from below:

where f is the Coriolis parameter, L a characteristic length, and U_T a characteristic thermal wind. The characteristic thermal wind is

where g is the acceleration of gravity, ε the coefficient of thermal expansion, Δ_rθ/Δr a characteristic radial temperature gradient, and δ depth of the fluid.
Compare Rossby number;
see thermal instability.