A numerical model for tsunamis generation and propagation (Q2641151)

A tsunami is a large wave generated primarily by submarine earthquakes or by volcanic eruptions on the sea floor. When these waves approach a coastal region where the water depth decreases rapidly, the wave energy is focused by refraction which, combined with local resonance effects, may result in significantly increased wave amplitudes. The problems relating to tsunamis fall into two classes corresponding to the basic stages of the phenomenon. The first class is associated with the analysis of the formation of the initial disturbances on the surface of the sea and their propagation near the ``source''. It is well known that a tsunami depends on the specific features of the floor motions and on the extent and duration of the deformation. The second class is concerned with the propagation of a tsunami which is greatly influenced by the topography of the sea floor. Most of analytical investigations of tsunamis generation and propagation have been based on a description, linear or not, of the wave motion in a regular basin of uniform depth. Among the others, \textit{J. L. Hammack} [J. Fluid Mech. 60, 769-799 (1973; Zbl 0273.76010)], using specific bed deformations, has determined the conditions necessary for the linear theory to be applicable in the generation region and has examined the effect of the growth of nonlinearities on wave behaviour during propagation. However, using purely analytical techniques, it is clear that it is impossible to determine the detailed wave behaviour neither with a linearized descripton of the wave motion. For this reason, for several years numerical models have been employed [e.g.: \textit{M. Kawahara}, \textit{N. Takeuchi} and \textit{T. Yoshida}, Int. J. Numer. Methods Engin. 12, 331- 351 (1978; Zbl 0375.76003)], which also allow the use of real batymetry and quite arbitrary bottom displacements.