A New Analytical Model for Internal Solitons in the Ocean*

Abstract

A new model for tidally generated internal solitons in the ocean is advanced, based on a little-known asymptotic analytical solution to the weakly nonlinear Korteweg–de Vries equation. The solution has many of the properties observed in oceanic internal solitary waves (solitons). It has been adapted to simulate the dynamics of stratified fluid flow driven by tidal forcing at continental shelves and sills, and the adaptation describes the canonical behavior of such solitary wave trains. It is shown that the solitons are positioned at the leading edge of an internal tidal bore on the shelf and that the distance between successive packets of solitons constitutes the internal tidal wavelength. A future paper will apply the model to field observations from four geographical regions.