ANALYSIS OF SPHERICAL FUNCTION SPECTRAL STRUCTURE OF THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE 500 HPA MONTHLY MEAN HEIGHT^*

Study is undertaken of spherical function spectral structures of long-term mean and anomaly patterns of the Northern Hemisphere 500 hPa monthly mean geopotential height together with the seasonal and interannual variations investigated.Results show that they are marked by low dimensions and low orders,and the mean and anomaly fields can be described in terms of 20 and 50 spherical function components,respectively.