Abstract
We consider a generalized fifth-order KdV equation with time-dependent coefficients exhibiting higher-degree nonlinear terms. This nonlinear evolution equation describes the interaction between a water wave and a floating ice cover and gravity-capillary waves. By means of the subsidiary ordinary differential equation method, some new exact soliton solutions are derived. Among these solutions, we can find the well known bright and dark solitons with sech and tanh function shapes, and other soliton-like solutions. These solutions may be useful to explain the nonlinear dynamics of waves in an inhomogeneous KdV system supporting high-order dispersive and nonlinear effects.