Exner function

The Exner function is an important parameter in atmospheric modeling. The Exner function can be viewed as non-dimensionalized pressure and can be defined as:

\Pi = \left( \frac{p}{p_0} \right)^{R_d/c_p} = \frac{T}{\theta}

where p_0 is the pressure at the surface, usually taken as 1000 hPa; R_d is the gas constant for dry air; c_p is the heat capacity of dry air at constant pressure; T is the absolute temperature; and \theta is the potential temperature.

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