We prove stability for arbitrarily long times of the zero solution for the so‐called β‐plane equation, which describes the motion of a two‐dimensional inviscid, ideal fluid under the influence of the Coriolis effect. The Coriolis force introduces a linear dispersive operator into the two‐dimensional incompressible Euler equations, thus making this problem amenable to an analysis from the point of view of nonlinear dispersive equations. The dispersive operator, L1:=∂1/| ∇ |2, exhibits good decay, but has numerous unfavorable properties, chief among which are its anisotropy and its behavior at small frequencies.© 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.