Generation of random waves in time-dependent extended mild-slope equations using a source function method

We develop techniques of numerical wave generation in the time-dependent extended mild-slope equations of Suh et al. [1997. Time-dependent equations for wave propagation on rapidly varying topography. Coastal Engineering 32, 91–117] and Lee et al. [2003. Extended mild-slope equation for random waves. Coastal Engineering 48, 277–287] for random waves using a source function method. Numerical results for both regular and irregular waves in one and two horizontal dimensions show that the wave heights and the frequency spectra are properly reproduced. The waves that pass through the wave generation region do not cause any numerical disturbances, showing usefulness of the source function method in avoiding re-reflection problems at the offshore boundary.     

Internal generation of waves: Delta source function method and source term addition method

In this study, we investigate two internal wave generation methods in numerical modeling of time-dependent equations for water wave propagation, i.e., delta source function method and source term addition method, the latter of which has been called the line source method in literatures. We derive delta source functions for the Boussinesq-type equations and extended mild-slope equations. By applying the fractional step splitting method, we show that the delta source function method is equivalent to the source term addition method employing the energy velocity. This suggests that the energy velocity should be used rather than the phase velocity for the transport of incident wave energy in the source term addition method. Finally, the performance of the delta source function method is verified by accurately generating nonlinear cnoidal waves as well as linear waves for horizontally one-dimensional cases.     

Application of a Boussinesq model for the computation of breaking waves: Part 2: Wave-induced setdown and setup on a submerged coral reef

Based on a set of Boussinesq-type equations with improved linear frequency dispersion characteristics in deeper water, the present paper incorporates the simplified effect of spilling wave breaking into the equations. The analysis is restricted to a single horizontal dimension but the method can be extended to include the second horizontal dimension. Inside the surf zone the vertical variation of the horizontal velocity profile is assumed to be composed of an (initially unknown) organised velocity component below the roller and a surface roller travelling with the wave celerity. This leads to a new set of equations which is capable of simulating the transformation of waves before, during and after wave breaking. The model is calibrated and verified by comparison with several wave flume measurements. The results show that the model produces sound physical results.     

Surf zone dynamics simulated by a Boussinesq type model. Part I. Model description and cross-shore motion of regular waves

This is the first of three papers on the modelling of various types of surf zone phenomena. In this first paper, part I, the model is presented and its basic features are studied for the case of regular waves. The model is based on two-dimensional equations of the Boussinesq type and it features improved linear dispersion characteristics, possibility of wave breaking, and a moving boundary at the shoreline. The moving shoreline is treated numerically by replacing the solid beach by a permeable beach characterized by an extremely small porosity. Run-up of nonbreaking waves is verified against the analytical solution for nonlinear shallow water waves. The inclusion of wave breaking is based on the surface roller concept for spilling breakers using a geometrical determination of the instantaneous roller thickness at each point and modelling the effect of wave breaking by an additional convective momentum term. This is a function of the local wave celerity, which is determined interactively. The model is applied to cross-shore motions of regular waves including various types of breaking on plane sloping beaches and over submerged bars. Model results comprise time series of surface elevations and the spatial variation of phase-averaged quantities such as the wave height, the crest and trough elevations, the mean water level, and the depth-averaged undertow. Comparisons with physical experiments are presented. The phaseaveraged balance of the individual terms in the momentum and energy equation is determined by time-integration and quantities such as the cross-sectional roller area, the radiation stress, the energy flux and the energy dissipation are studied and discussed with reference to conventional phase-averaged wave models. The companion papers present cross-shore motions of breaking irregular waves, swash oscillations and surf beats (part II) and nearshore circulations induced by breaking of unidirectional and multidirectional waves (part III).     

Essential properties of Boussinesq equations for internal and surface waves in a two-fluid system

Boussinesq equations describing motions of internal waves in a two-fluid system with the presence of free surface are theoretically derived, and the associated essential properties are examined in this study. Eliminating the dependence on the vertical coordinate from all variables, four equations constitute the Boussinesq model with two flexible parameters, z_u and z_l, which indicate the specific elevations, respectively, in the upper and lower fluids. Similar to the Boussinesq model for a single-layer fluid, z_u and z_l are determined by matching the linear dispersion relation with Lamb's solution. This determines the optimal model. In the analysis stage, this problem is classified into two cases, the thicker-upper-layer case and the thicker-lower-case case, to avoid the possible divergence of wave properties as the thickness ratio grows. Since there exist two modes of motions that may be excited, cases of both modes are separately analyzed. Linear characteristics including the amplitude ratios and normalized particle velocities are analyzed. Second-order harmonic waves are examined to validate nonlinear behaviors of present model. Results of linear and nonlinear investigations show that the present model indeed extends the applicable range of traditional Boussinesq equations.     

Simulation of directional waves in a numerical basin by a desingularized integral equation approach

A numerical solution is developed to investigate the generation and propagation of small-amplitude water waves in a semi-infinite rectangular wave basin. The three-dimensional wave field is produced by the prescribed “snake-like” motion of an array of segmented wave generators located along the wall at one end of the tank. The solution technique is based on the boundary element approach and uses an appropriate three-dimensional Green function which explicitly satisfies the tank-wall boundary conditions. The Green function and its derivatives which appear in the integral equation formulation can be shown to be slowly convergent when the source and field points are in close proximity. Therefore, when computing the velocity potentials on the wave generators, the source points are chosen outside the fluid domain, thereby ensuring the rapid convergence of these functions and rendering the integral equations non-singular. Numerical results are shown which illustrate the influence of the various wavemaker and basin parameters on the generated wave field. Finally, the complete wave field produced by the diffraction of oblique waves by a vertical circular cylinder in a basin is presented.     

Wave-adjusted boundary condition for longshore current in finite-volume circulation models

Numerical modeling of coastal circulation encompassing the nearshore requires forcing by tide, surface gravity waves, and possibly other factors. In the nearshore, the wave-induced longshore current and setup are dominant hydrodynamic processes, and lateral boundary conditions representing tide and oceanic forcing typically do not include surface-wave contributions. Without proper boundary conditions, significant gradients in current and water level can occur that contaminate the solution in the internal domain. A standard strategy is to place the boundaries far from the site of interest, but this strategy greatly increases computational demands, and it may not be appropriate for long-term simulations. This paper describes a wave-adjusted boundary condition that accounts for wave-induced water level and current acting in combination with tidal forcing. The wave-adjusted boundary condition is demonstrated for an idealized case of a parallel-contour beach and for an engineering application at Ocean City, MD.     

An efficient method for the numerical calculation of viscous effects on transient long waves

Previous studies have shown that the Boussinesq equations can be used to calculate the instantaneous bottom shear stress induced by transient or periodic waves. The bottom friction term occurs as a convolution integral in time in the continuity equation. The exact numerical integration of a convolution integral demands large computational resources, which makes the method less useful for large scale computations. In this paper we explore how the value of the convolution integral can be estimated if we only use the values of the variables in a limited number of time steps, and discuss the accuracy and computational cost of this method.     

Separation of regular waves by a transfer function method

This paper presents a transfer function method (TFM) which can separate a regular wave field into incident and reflected waves based on the linear wave theory. The TFM uses specific transfer functions and corresponding convolution integrals to separate time series data measured in a combined partial standing wave system into incident and reflected waves. After this separation, estimation of the reflection coefficient becomes very easy. All manipulations have been performed in time domain. Furthermore, this method does not involve the calculation of wave heights and/or phase differences. The present method is demonstrated through numerical sample and physical model experiments carried out in a wave flume. Compared with other methods, the TFM gives much better estimates of the incident wave heights for physical model experiments in this study.     

海洋模式中Boussinesq近似误差讨论

根据全球增暖的特点,设计了一个理想的数值试验方案,用Boussinesq POP海洋模式和改进的非Boussinesq POP海洋模式定量讨论了Bousiinesq近似在海洋模式计算中的误差。结果发现,在只有热力驱动的热力环流背景下,由热膨胀引起的海平面上升在水平方向上是基本均匀的,在所给的初始边界条件下,这种由Boussinesq近似引起的最大海平面误差可以达到59％,在Boussinesq POP模式中,热源中心处的海面高度要远小于由非Boussinesq模式计算的海面高度,而其周围有虚假的海面高度下降;在只有加热引起的热盐环流过程中,当模式作了Boussinesq假设以后,计算的经向和纬向垂直环流都会产生虚假的加强,虽然这种误差只是在1％左右;在Bousiinesq近似假定下,热量经向通量在赤道上垂直剖面的积分误差比质量经向通量在赤道上垂直剖面的积分误差大一个量级;非Boussinesq模式计算的气压梯度所做功的垂向分布在3000m以下是有波动的,而Boussinesq模式计算的气压梯度所做功的垂向分布在3000m以下基本上是均匀的,它的误差在10％以上。     

Wave types of landslide generated impulse waves

Subaerial landslide generated impulse waves were investigated in a prismatic wave channel. Seven governing parameters, namely the still water depth, slide impact velocity, slide thickness, bulk slide volume, bulk slide density, slide impact angle, and grain diameter, were systematically varied. The generated impulse waves are nonlinear, intermediate- to shallow-water waves involving a small to considerable fluid mass transport. The Stokes wave, cnoidal wave, solitary wave, and bore theories were applied to describe the observed maximum waves. The theoretical and observed features of these four wave types are highlighted. A diagram allows to predict the wave type directly as a function of the slide parameters, the slide impact angle, and the still water depth.     

Numerical investigation of oscillations induced by submerged sliding masses within a harbor of constant slope

Oscillations within a rectangular harbor of constant slope induced by submerged sliding masses are investigated numerically based on Boussinesq-type equations and results are used to reveal the characteristics of the generated oscillations. The numerical result of each transverse eigenfrequency is very close to the theoretical prediction and the spatial structure of each mode of the oscillations may also be well captured by the existing analytical solutions based on shallow water equations. The investigation shows that relatively small-scale sliding masses whose width is small compared with the harbor width may induce obvious transverse oscillations. The predominant transverse components are those with small mode numbers when the solid slides start moving from the backwall. In comparing the oscillations induced by the slides of constant velocity and those accelerated by gravity force with bottom friction, it is observed that the movements accelerated by gravity force may facilitate the development of very low transverse oscillation modes while those with constant velocity may also be in favor of the higher ones. The augmentation of the sliding velocity along the constant slope may shift the amplitudes of the oscillation components to smaller values, which corresponds to the physical understandings of the waves generated by underwater sliding masses or landslides. While the sliding masses may not act on an isolated point of the bottom but follow a certain trajectory along the harbor, the transverse oscillations induced by them are sensitive to their position of departure in both the cross-harbor direction and the offshore direction. Longitudinal oscillations may be induced by relatively large sliding masses of harbor width on a constant slope within the harbor. Although the longitudinal oscillations may not reach a steady state without forcing terms at the entrance of the harbor, some patterns of several low-mode ones occur and wavelet spectra are used to analyze their evolutions and comparisons are made with theoretical predictions. It is revealed that the longitudinal oscillations are also sensitive to the moving velocity and initial location of the sliding masses.     

Generation and propagation of transient nonlinear waves in a wave flume

A semi-analytical nonlinear wavemaker model is derived to predict the generation and propagation of transient nonlinear waves in a wave flume. The solution is very efficient and is achieved by applying eigenfunction expansions and FFT. The model is applied to study the effect of the wavemaker and its motion on the generation and propagation of nonlinear waves. The results indicate that the linear wavemaker theory may be applied to predict only the generation of waves of low steepness for which the nonlinear terms in the kinematic wavemaker boundary condition and free-surface boundary conditions are of secondary importance. For waves of moderate steepness and steep waves these nonlinear terms have substantial effects on wave profile and wave spectrum just after the wavemaker. A wave spectrum corresponding to a sinusoidally moving wavemaker possesses a multi-peak form with substantial nonlinear components, which disturbs or may even exclude physical modeling in wave flumes. The analysis shows that the widely recognized weakly nonlinear wavemaker theory may only be applied to describe the generation and propagation of waves of low steepness. This is subject to further restrictions in shallow and deep waters because the kinematic wavemaker boundary condition as well as the nonlinear interaction of wave components and the evolution of wave energy spectrum is not properly described by weakly nonlinear wavemaker theory. Laboratory experiments were conducted in a wave flume to verify the nonlinear wavemaker model. The comparisons show a reasonable agreement between predicted and measured free-surface elevation and the corresponding amplitudes of Fourier series. A reasonable agreement between theoretical results and experimental data is observed even for fairly steep waves.     

Scenarios of local tsunamis in the China Seas by Boussinesq model

The Okinawa Trench in the East China Sea and the Manila Trench in the South China Sea are considered to be the regions with high risk of potential tsunamis induced by submarine earthquakes. Tsunami waves will impact the southeast coast of China if tsunamis occur in these areas. In this paper, the horizontal two-dimensional Boussinesq model is used to simulate tsunami generation, propagation, and runnp in a domain with complex geometrical boundaries. The temporary varying bottom boundary condition is adopted to describe the initial tsunami waves motivated by the submarine faults. The Indian Ocean tsunami is simulated by the numerical model as a validation case. The time series of water elevation and runup on the beach are compared with the measured data from field survey. The agreements indicate that the Boussinesq model can be used to simulate tsunamis and predict the waveform and runup. Then, the hypothetical tsunamis in the Okinawa Trench and the Manila Trench are simulated by the numerical model. The arrival time and maximum wave height near coastal cities are predicted by the model. It turns out that the leading depression N-wave occurs when the tsunami propagates in the continental shelf from the Okinawa Trench. The scenarios of the tsunami in the Manila Trench demonstrate significant effects on the coastal area around the South China Sea.     

Effective boundary element method for the interaction of oblique waves with long prismatic structures in water of finite depth

An effective boundary element method (BEM) is presented for the interaction between oblique waves and long prismatic structures in water of finite depth. The Green's function used here is the basic Green's function that does not satisfy any boundary condition. Therefore, the discretized elements for the computation must be placed on all the boundaries. To improve the computational efficiency and accuracy, a modified method for treatment of the open boundary conditions and a direct analytical approach for the singularity integrals in the boundary integral equation are adopted. The present BEM method is applied to the calculation of hydrodynamic coefficients and wave exciting forces for long horizontal rectangular and circular structures. The performance of the present method is demonstrated by comparisons of results with those generated by other analytical and numerical methods.     

Study of irregular wave run-up over fringing reefs based on a shock-capturing Boussinesq model

This paper presents the results of a parametric study of irregular wave run-up over fringing reefs using the shock-capturing Boussinesq wave model Funwave-TVD to better understand the role of fringing reefs in the mitigation of wave-driven flooding. Laboratory experiments were newly performed with a typical fringing reef profile and typical hydrodynamic conditions to validate the model. Experimental data shows irregular wave run-ups are dominated by the low-frequency motions and confirms the run-up resonant phenomenon over the back-reef slope, which has been revealed in previous numerical studies. It is demonstrated that irregular wave evolution and run-up over fringing reefs are reasonably reproduced by the present model with a proper grid size. However, the infragravity run-up height and highest 2% run-up height over the back-reef slope are under-predicted due to the underestimation of the infragravity wave height over the reef flat. The validated model was then utilized to model irregular wave transformations and run-ups under different conditions. Through a series of numerical experiments, the effects of key hydrodynamic and reef geometry parameters, including the reef flat width, water depth over the reef flat, fore-reef slope angle and back-reef slope angle, on the irregular wave run-up were investigated. Variations of spectral components of irregular wave run-ups were examined to better understand the physical process underlying the effect of each parameter.     

Surf zone dynamics simulated by a Boussinesq type model. Part II: surf beat and swash oscillations for wave groups and irregular waves

This is the second of three papers on the modelling of various types of surf zone phenomena. In the first paper the general model was described and it was applied to study cross-shore motion of regular waves in the surf zone. In this paper, part II, we consider the cross-shore motion of wave groups and irregular waves with emphasis on shoaling, breaking and runup as well as the generation of surf beats. These phenomena are investigated numerically by using a time-domain Boussinesq type model, which resolves the primary wave motion as well as the long waves. As compared with the classical Boussinesq equations, the equations adopted here allow for improved linear dispersion characteristics and wave breaking is modelled by using a roller concept for spilling breakers. The swash zone is included by incorporating a moving shoreline boundary condition and radiation of short and long period waves from the offshore boundary is allowed by the use of absorbing sponge layers. Mutual interaction between short waves and long waves is inherent in the model. This allows, for example, for a general exchange of energy between triads rather than a simple one-way forcing of bound waves and for a substantial modification of bore celerities in the swash zone due to the presence of long waves. The model study is based mainly on incident bichromatic wave groups considering a range of mean frequencies, group frequencies, modulation rates, sea bed slopes and surf similarity parameters. Additionally, two cases of incident irregular waves are studied. The model results presented include transformation of surface elevations during shoaling, breaking and runup and the resulting shoreline oscillations. The low frequency motion induced by the primary-wave groups is determined at the shoreline and outside the surf zone by low-pass filtering and subsequent division into incident bound and free components and reflected free components. The model results are compared with laboratory experiments from the literature and the agreement is generally found to be very good. Finally the paper includes special details from the breaker model: time and space trajectories of surface rollers revealing the breakpoint oscillation and the speed of bores; envelopes of low-pass filtered radiation stress and surface elevation; sensitivity of surf beat to group frequency, modulation rate and bottom slope is investigated. Part III of this work (Sørensen et al., 1998) presents nearshore circulations induced by the breaking of unidirectional and multi-directional waves.     

The diffraction of linear waves by a uniform vertical cylinder with cosine-type radial perturbations

The interaction of linear waves with a uniform, bottom-mounted, surface-piercing cylinder whose diameter exhibits a cosine-type variation is investigated. Two solution methods are presented. One method is based on a perturbation theory, using a perturbation parameter defined in terms of the surface geometry of the cylinder. The analysis includes terms up to the first-order in this parameter, where the zeroth-order solution corresponds to a circular cylinder. The velocity potentials at the zeroth and first orders are expressed as eigenfunction expansions involving unknown coefficients that are subsequently determined through the cylinder boundary conditions. The second method is based on Green's theorem and gives rise to an integral equation for the fluid velocity potential on the cylinder surface. A comparison between the results of these two methods has proved that they are in good agreement for small values of the perturbation parameter. Numerical results are presented that illustrate the influence of the magnitude and frequency of these perturbations on the resulting hydrodynamic force and the wave runup on the cylinder.     

Experimental and numerical studies on the development of a new wave absorber

This paper proposes a new wave absorber made of flexible net structures. To test the efficiency of the proposed water absorber, experiments were done on wave absorbers of various lengths of and the thicknesses of the wave absorber. To perform a numerical modeling of the proposed wave absorber, damping terms were introduced in linearized free-surface boundary conditions. The length and the thickness of the wave absorber were modeled by the length and the coefficient of the damping zones. The boundary element method was adopted to solve the system. Series of experiments were performed to obtain the data for the coefficients of the damping term needed in numerical calculations. The predicted wave heights agreed very closely with those of experiments when the lengths of the incoming waves were within the order of the length of the wave absorber.