1. Any of a number of model atmospheres in which some of the following conditions exist throughout the motion: coincidence of pressure and temperature surfaces; absence of vertical wind shear; absence of vertical motions; absence of horizontal velocity divergence; and conservation of the vertical component of absolute vorticity.

Barotropic models are usually divided into two classes: the nondivergent barotropic model and the divergent barotropic model (also called the shallow-water equations).

2. A single-parameter, single-level atmospheric model based solely on the advection of the initial circulation field.

The simplest form of barotropic model is based on the barotropic vorticity advection equation: