A Hamiltonian approach for nonlinear rotational capillary-gravity water waves in stratified flows (Q501440)

The equatorial flows are object of study by many scientists. Some properties as the strong stratification, the presence of strong depth-dependent underlying currents, with flow reversal at a depth of greater then \(100\) [m], makes the investigation too complex. In the Pacific these currents are modeled by two-dimensional flows with piecewise constant vorticity. It captures the swirling motion beneath the surface wave and very often is included in mathematical model. In this interesting paper the author considers a mathematical model of two-dimensional rotational stratified water flows driven by gravity and surface tension, bounded below by a rigid flat bed, and above by a free surface. Many authors use the Hamiltonian formulation, which is important in the investigation of the complicated hydrodynamical phenomena in the Pacific. The main object of study in this paper is the Hamiltonian (sufficiently smooth) connected with the total energy of the flow. It has the form: \[ H=\iint_{\Omega\cup\Omega_1}\mathbf{\rho }[(1/2)\mathbf{(u^2 + v^2})+gy]dydx + \sigma_1\int_{h_1+\eta_1}dl, \] where \(\mathbf{\rho }\) is the density, \((\mathbf{u}(x, y, t), \mathbf{v}(x, y, t))\) is the velocity field, and the first term in the double integral represents the kinetic energy; \(\mathbf{\rho}gy\) is the gravitational potential energy, and the second integral stands for the free energy of the surface; \(\Omega \) is the domain occupied by two fluid layers at a fixed time \(t\), and similarly \(\Omega_1 = \{(x, y) : x \in (0, L), \eta (x, t) < y < h_1 + \eta_1 (x, t)\}\). The corresponding Hamiltonian system is constructed by ``Fréchet derivative'' (in functional sense). Here the water domain is bounded below by the rigid flat bed \(y = -h\), (with \(h > 0\)), and above by the free surface \(y = \eta_1 (x, t) + h_1\) , which is a perturbation of the flat free surface \(y = h_1 \). Note that the distribution of the vorticity and of density is piecewise constant with a jump across the interface separating the fluid of bigger density from the lighter fluid adjacent to the free surface. An interesting result is that the governing equations admit a nearly-Hamiltonian formulation, i.e. there is small summands perturbing the Hamiltonian equations. It turns out that there exists a change of variables such that it transforms the nearly-Hamiltonian system in a Hamiltonian.