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A transport equation carries a quantity along the flow of a velocity field $b$. For a smooth solution of $u_t+b\cdot \nabla u=0$, the value of $u$ is constant along each characteristic curve. With constant speed $c$, the chain rule gives $\frac{d}{dt}u(x_0+ct,t)=u_t+c{u}_x=0$, hence $u(x,t)=g(x-ct)$. This is exact translation: it preserves the shape rather than smoothing it, as the periodic heat and transport comparison shows.

For a spatially varying velocity field, distinguish an advected value from a conserved mass density. The continuity equation is ${\rho }_t+\mathrm{div}(b\rho )=0$, which expands to ${\rho }_t+b\cdot \nabla \rho +(\mathrm{div}b)\rho =0$. Thus along the characteristic flow map $X_t$, it is $\rho (t,X_t(\alpha ))\det D{X}_t(\alpha )$ that remains constant. For $b(x)=x$ on the real line, scalar transport equation gives $u(t,x)=g(e^{-t}x)$, whereas the continuity equation gives $\rho (t,x)=e^{-t}g(e^{-t}x)$. For integrable $g$, change of variables yields $\int u(t,x)dx=e^t\int g$ and $\int \rho (t,x)dx=\int g$. The expanding flow preserves carried values and spreads conserved mass over a growing volume.

For a one-dimensional wave equation whose principal symbol is ${\xi }_t^2-c(y{)}^2{\xi }_y^2$, a travel-time coordinate isIts two families of characteristic curves are $s(y)-t=\text{constant}$ and $s(y)+t=\text{constant}$ wherever the wave speed $c$ is positive.

In a channel with width $2\lambda xz$ at height $z$, a well-mixed particle-laden gravity current of depth $h$ occupies area $\lambda x{h}^2$. Its volume conservation, momentum and particle deposition flux balances givewhere the reduced gravity is $g^{\prime }=d\varphi$. The $h/3$ coefficient is the cross-section-weighted mean of $h-z$ in the hydrostatic pressure force. The characteristic curves have speeds $u$ and $u\pm \sqrt{g^{\prime }h/2}$.

A vertically mixed gravity current with horizontally varying reduced gravity $b$ obeys $h_t+(hu{)}_x=0$ and $(hu{)}_t+(h{u}^2+b{h}^2/2{)}_x=0$. Consequently the material acceleration is $Du/Dt=-b{h}_x-h{b}_x/2$. Advected density variables add repeated contact characteristic curves of speed $u$ to the gravity-wave characteristic curves of speeds $u\pm \sqrt{bh}$.

For a rectangular channel with stationary width $b(x)$ and constant reduced gravity $g^{\prime }$, volume conservation and momentum conservation give $h_t+u{h}_x+h{u}_x=-hu{b}^{\prime }/b$ and $u_t+u{u}_x+g^{\prime }{h}_x=0$. With $c=\sqrt{g^{\prime }h}$ the characteristic curves have speeds $u\pm c$. The combinations $u\pm 2c$ obey the displayed compatibility equations; they are Riemann invariants only when the width source term vanishes.

For a smooth phase $\Theta$, define local wavenumber $k={\Theta }_x$ and local angular frequency $\omega =-{\Theta }_t$. Equality of mixed derivatives gives $k_t+{\omega }_x=0$. Dividing by $2\pi$ expresses conservation of signed crest count with density $k/(2\pi )$ and flux $\omega /(2\pi )$. When a homogeneous local dispersion relation gives $\omega =\omega (k)$, the equation becomes $k_t+v_g(k)k_x=0$; its characteristic curves move at the group velocity. This phase compatibility is distinct from energy or wave-action conservation.

Whitham modulation theory describes a wave train whose amplitude, wavenumber and angular frequency change slowly compared with its wavelength and period. For a variational principle, insert a locally periodic profile into the Lagrangian, average over the fast phase and vary the resulting averaged Lagrangian. This replaces detailed oscillations by equations for their slowly changing parameters, as developed by Gerald Beresford Whitham.^[ref]

With slow variables $X,T$ and phase $\Theta (X,T)$, define $k={\Theta }_X$ and $\omega =-{\Theta }_T$. Equality of mixed partial derivatives gives the independent wave-compatibility lawVariation of the slow phase gives the Whitham modulation equation, while profile or amplitude variations give other closure relations. These equations are leading-order asymptotic expansions under scale separation; a change of modulation type or crossing of its characteristic curves can invalidate the smooth slow description even while the original oscillatory wave remains meaningful.