A Coupled-Mode Technique for the Run-Up of Non-Breaking Dispersive Waves on Plane Beaches

Abstract

A coupled-mode model is developed and applied to the transformation and run-up of dispersive water waves on plane beaches. The present work is based on the consistent coupled-mode theory for the propagation of water waves in variable bathymetry regions, developed by Athanassoulis & Belibassakis (1999) and extended to 3D by Belibassakis et al (2001), which is suitably modified to apply to a uniform plane beach. The key feature of the coupled-mode theory is a complete modal-type expansion of the wave potential, containing both propagating and evanescent modes, being able to consistently satisfy the Neumann boundary condition on the sloping bottom. Thus, the present approach extends previous works based on the modified mild-slope equation in conjunction with analytical solution of the linearised shallow water equations, see, e.g., Massel & Pelinovsky (2001). Numerical results concerning non-breaking waves on plane beaches are presented and compared with exact analytical solutions; see, e.g., Wehausen & Laitone (1960, Sec. 18). Also, numerical results are presented concerning the run-up of non-breaking solitary waves on plane beaches and compared with the ones obtained by the solution of the shallow-water wave equations, Synolakis (1987), Li & Raichlen (2002), and experimental data, Synolakis (1987).