Dynamics of singularity surfaces for compressible, viscous flows in two space dimensions

We prove the global existence of solutions of the Navier‐Stokes equations of compressible, barotropic flow in two space dimensions which exhibit convecting singularity curves. The fluid density and velocity gradient have jump discontinuities across these curves, exactly as predicted by the Rankine‐Hugoniot conditions, and these jump discontinuities decay exponentially in time, more rapidly for smaller viscosities. The singularity curves remain C 1+α despite the fact that the velocity fields which convect them are not continuously differentiable. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.