Lie symmetry analysis and exact solutions of the quasigeostrophic two-layer problem

The quasigeostrophic two-layer model is of superior interest in dynamic meteorology since it is one of the easiest ways to study baroclinic processes in geophysical fluid dynamics. The complete set of point symmetries of the two-layer equations is determined. An optimal set of one- and two-dimensional inequivalent subalgebras of the maximal Lie invariance algebra is constructed. On the basis of these subalgebras, we exhaustively carry out group-invariant reduction and compute various classes of exact solutions. Wherever possible, reference to the physical meaning of the exact solutions is given. In particular, the well-known baroclinic Rossby wave solutions in the two-layer model are rediscovered.