On the relevance of soliton theory to tsunami modelling

We discuss the relevance of soliton theory to the modelling of tsunamis in the context of the two largest tsunamis for which records are available—the December 2004 and the May 1960 tsunami. Our contention is that in both cases the scales involved do not permit a balancing effect of dispersion and nonlinearity, and therefore soliton theory is not applicable.