Numerical study on wave propagation over a fluid-mud layer with different bottom conditions

Abstract

Wave decay over a muddy seabed has been widely reported. In previous studies, the fluid-mud layer is usually treated as a homogeneous layer with a certain thickness lying on the rigid bottom. However, the muddy seabed beneath a fluid-mud layer is usually movable in practice. This study aims to find out the influence of the movable seabed beneath a fluid-mud layer. For this purpose, a numerical model for wave propagation over a multilayered muddy seabed is developed, in which water is treated as a Newtonian fluid, and the rheology of mud is described by a visco-elastic–plastic model. The laboratory experiments of Sakakiyama and Bijker (J Waterw Port Coast Ocean Eng 115(5):614–633, 1989) are chosen to validate the numerical model. The model is then employed to investigate the movement of a fluid-mud layer with different conditions of the underlying mud layer and its influence on wave decay. It is found that the underlying mud layer plays a very important role in the wave–mud interaction and greatly affects the wave decay rate.