Decaying periodic-wavetrain and solitary-vortex exact solutions for two-dimensional planetary viscous flows

Summary We give Taylor-Kovasznay solutions for two-dimensional motions in a layer of viscous fluid on a rotating globe in the β-plane approximation. These solutions represent travelling-wave-type periodic wavetrains and solitary vortices which decay away in time due to viscous effects. Due to the relevance of its scientific content, this paper has been given priority by the Journal Direction.