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Which growth mechanism operates even when no unstable normal mode exists?

  • A.Non-modal transient growth
  • B.Barotropic instability, which requires the horizontal shear profile to have an inflection point somewhere
  • C.Convective instability
  • D.Symmetric instability, which occurs when the absolute momentum surfaces are steeper than the isentropes

Answer: A

Because the linearised operator is non-normal, a superposition of decaying modes can grow substantially for a time before eventually decaying. This transient growth can amplify a perturbation by a large factor over a few days even in a flow that is asymptotically stable. It is one reason forecast errors grow faster than classical instability theory alone would suggest. Framing the question as which quantity the change acts upon makes the answer follow without calculation.

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