TRANSITION OF TSUNAMI-LIKE LONG WAVES FROM A BASIN INTO A CHANNEL WITH OUTFLOW JET

Abstract

Intrusion into rivers is an important aspect of the tsunami hazard. Tsunamis change their waveform and amplitude when they pass through a river mouth, and tend to increase the mean water level for a long duration of time once they have intruded the river (Tolkova et al., 2015). Understanding the ocean-to-river transition of a tsunami is crucial for predicting tsunami effects upstream, although the transition processes are complicated by a variety of factors such as bathymetry, river discharge, vegetation, and man-made structures like jetties and seawalls. To identify key fundamental mechanisms for the tsunami intrusion into rivers, we conduct laboratory experiments of tsunami-like long waves transitioning from a wide basin (ocean) into a narrow channel (river).