A column of air spanning a depth of 5.25 km is moving toward the east at a latitude of 43ºN and flows over a long north-south mountain ridge that extends to 2 km in height. The air column flows over the ridge in a frictionless and adiabatic manner. There is a strong temperature inversion above the air column that limits its depth as it flows over the ridge, such that the column is 3.5 km deep at the mountain top. Assuming the relative vorticity of the air column at the mountain top is zero and it reaches a maximum latitude of 50ºN, what is the relative vorticity of the air column when it returns to 43ºN east of the ridge?

A column of air spanning a depth of 5.25 km is moving toward the east at a latitude of 43ºN and flows over a long north-south mountain ridge that extends to 2 km in height. The air column flows over the ridge in a frictionless and adiabatic manner. There is a strong temperature inversion above the air column that limits its depth as it flows over the ridge, such that the column is 3.5 km deep at the mountain top. Assuming the relative vorticity of the air column at the mountain top is zero and it reaches a maximum latitude of 50ºN, what is the relative vorticity of the air column when it returns to 43ºN east of the ridge?