The structure of stationary planetary waves in winter in relation to the polar night jet intensity

The structure of stationary planetary waves in winter and the dependence of this structure on the intensity of the polar night jet is studied by means of calculations using a quasi‐geostrophic model on a sphere. Results indicate that planetary wave structure is strongly dependent on the magnitude of the polar night jet. There appears to be reasonable agreement between these computations and observed planetary waves. The reason for the apparent discrepancy between the planetary wave models of Matsuno (1970) and Simmons (1974) is found to be due to their use of different wind models.