Wave transformation by axisymmetric three-dimensional bathymetric anomalies with gradual transitions in depth [An article from: Coastal Engineering]

This digital document is a journal article from Coastal Engineering, published by Elsevier in 2005. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Description:
The development of an analytic model (Axisymmetric 3-D Step Model) for the propagation of linear water waves over an axisymmetric bathymetric anomaly in arbitrary water depth is presented. The Axisymmetric 3-D Step Model is valid in a region of uniform depth containing an axisymmetric bathymetric anomaly with gradual transitions in depth allowed as a series of steps approximating arbitrary slopes. The velocity potential is calculated by applying matching conditions at the interface between regions of constant depth. The velocity potential obtained determines the wave field in the domain for monochromatic incident waves of linear form. A second analytic model (3-D Shallow Water Exact Model) is developed for comparison within the shallow water limit. The Axisymmetric 3-D Step Model determines the wave transformation caused by the processes of wave refraction, diffraction and reflection. Wave transformation is demonstrated in plots of the relative amplitude for bathymetric anomalies in the form of pit or a shoal, highlighting areas of wave sheltering and wave focusing. Anomalies of constant volume, but variable cross-section are employed to isolate the effect of the transition slope on the wave transformation. Comparisons to a shallow water model, numerical models, and experimental data verify the results of the Axisymmetric 3-D Step Model for several bathymetries including both pits and shoals. Also included are estimates of the energy reflection induced by an axisymmetric depth anomaly. The 3-D Axisymmetric Step Model has been applied previously to account for nearshore transformation (sloping bathymetry) and associated shoreline changes [C.J. Bender, R.G. Dean, Coastal Engineering 51 (2004) 1143].