Runup of solitary waves on a circular Island

Abstract

This is a study of the interactions of solitary waves climbing up a circular island. A series of large-scale laboratory experiments with waves of different incident height-to-depth ratios and different crest lengths is described. Detailed two-dimensional run-up height measurements and time histories of surface elevations around the island are presented. A numerical model based on the two-dimensional shallow-water wave equations including runup calculations was developed. Numerical model predictions agreed very well with the laboratory data and the model was used to study wave trapping and the effect of slope. Under certain conditions, enhanced runup and wave trapping on the lee side of the island were observed, suggesting a possible explanation for the devastation reported by field surveys in Babi Island off Flores, Indonesia, and in Okushiri Island, Japan.