Solitary waves in compressible, stratified fluids

Abstract

A solitary wave is found in a stratified, compressible fluid in a uniform gravity field. This wave depends for its existence on the compressibility of the medium no matter how small, although the speed of propagation is of the order of an internal gravity wave. The analytical discussion is carried out most fully for small compressibility. Another case, more appropriate for atmospheric problems, is solved by a numerical approach.