BAROTROPIC AND BAROCLINIC ENSTROPHY EQUATIONS WITH THEIR APPLICATIONS TO A BLOCKING CIRCULATION^*

After the manner for studying atmospheric kinetic energy,concepts of atmospheric enstrophy(ζ2/2)m and barotropic and baroclinic enstrophy (ζm2/2,ζs2/2) are developed with their relationsinves tigated,whereupon are established,separately,equations for the 1000-100 hPa extentaveraged ζm2/2 and ζs2/2 over a limited area and on a local basis.Study shows that controlling theirchanges are the following factors:the terms of their fluxes (viz.,divergences).β effect,their mutual conversions,production and dissipation.Analysis is undertaken of these terms-dependent physical mechanisms for the variations in barotropic and baroclinic enstrophy and by means of the equations,calculation is conducted of the terms during the development of an Okhotsk blocking circulation,indicating that the total,harotropic and haroclinic enstrophies experience noticeable variations,from which we see that the latter two factors can really characterize the development as a whole,thus revealing the mechanisms at different stages of the circulation history.