Influence of bottom topography on the propagation of linear shallow water waves: an exact approach based on the invariant imbedding method

Abstract

The wave equation for linear shallow water waves propagating over a varying bottom topography has the same form as that for p-polarized electromagnetic waves in inhomogeneous dielectric media. The role played by the dielectric permittivity in the case of electromagnetic waves is played by the inverse water depth. We apply the invariant imbedding theory of wave propagation, which has been developed mainly to study the electromagnetic wave propagation, to linear shallow water waves in the special case where the depth depends on only one coordinate. By comparing the numerical result obtained using our method, when the depth profile is linear, with an exact analytical formula, we demonstrate that our method is numerically reliable. The invariant imbedding method can be used in studying the influence of complicated bottom topography on the propagation of shallow water waves, in a numerically exact manner. We illustrate this by considering the case where a periodic modulation is added to a linear depth profile. Bragg scattering due to the periodic component competes with the tsunami effect due to the linear depth variation. This competition is seen to generate interesting physical effects. We also consider a ridge-type bottom topography and examine the resonant transmission phenomenon associated with the Fabry–Perot effect.