2D FDM Simulation of Seismic Waves and Tsunamis Based on Improved Coupling Equations Under Gravity

Abstract

To understand the characteristics of seismic waves and tsunamis recorded simultaneously by the ocean-bottom observation networks, the coupling between the solid Earth and the ocean has to be modeled in the presence of gravity. However, previous coupled simulations adopted approximate equations that did not fully incorporate the effects of gravity. In this study, we derived correctly linearized governing equations under gravity and compared them with those of previous studies. Numerical experiments were performed for a two-dimensional P-SV wavefield, using the finite difference method (FDM). To validate the accuracy of the calculated tsunamis, we computed the theoretical tsunami dispersion relation using a propagator matrix and compared it with our results and those of previous studies. We found that our proposed method provided more accurate results than those of previous studies, particularly in the short-period band. We also investigated the applicability of the proposed method to distant tsunamis by examining the difference between calculated and theoretical tsunami phase velocities in the long-period band. The proposed formulation provides accurate results that properly incorporate gravity into the simultaneous simulation of seismic waves and tsunamis.