On the transition from single- to multi-humped internal solitary waves

Abstract

We provide numerical evidence of the transition from rank-ordered trains of internal solitary waves (ISWs) to multi-humped packets. We ascribe such peculiar and unexplored dynamics to the emergence of a long-range influence among waves, mediated by the hydrodynamic conditions developing in the wake of each ISW and promoting acceleration of the trailing waves. Both the train during the transition and its final multi-humped configuration share hydrodynamic features which are consistent with the recently proposed theory of ISWs propagating through moving stratified environments.