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Large amplitude, horizontally propagating internal waves are commonly observed in the coastal ocean. They are often modelled by a variable-coefficient Korteweg–de Vries equation to take account of a horizontally varying background state. Although this equation is now well-known, a term representing non-conservative effects, arising from horizontal variation in the underlying basic state density stratification and current, has often been omitted. In this paper, we examine the possible significance of this term using climatological data for several typical oceanic sites where internal waves have been observed.