Flow kinematics for equatorial coupled surface and internal waves
We study the propagation of coupled surface and internal equatorial internal waves. A model of two vertically stratified fluid layers with different constant densities is employed. Taking Coriolis forces into account, we derive explicit solutions to the linearized governing equations which assumes irrotational fluid motion in both layers separately, and further obtain the dispersion relation which determines the phase speeds of propagating surface and internal waves. We prove a result on solutions to the dispersion relations which greatly simplifies our subsequent analysis of the nonlinear dynamical systems which describe the motion of the fluid in the upper layer. Phase portraits for all possible streamlines in both fluid layers are presented, while furthermore a Lagrangian description of the fluid flow is obtained, and the particle trajectories of the fluid particles are determined.