Some Three-Dimensional Nonlinear Equatorial Flows

This study presents some explicit exact solutions for nonlinear geophysical ocean waves in the beta-plane approximation near the equator. The solutions are provided in Lagrangian coordinates by describing the path of each particle. The unidirectional equatorially trapped waves are symmetric about the equator and propagate eastward above the thermocline and beneath the near-surface layer to which wind effects are confined. At each latitude the flow pattern represents a traveling wave.