Extreme long waves over a varying bathymetry

Abstract

Recent modelling work has shown that abrupt bathymetric transitions can produce dramatic amplifications of long waves, under the influence of both nonlinearity and dispersion. Here, the evolution of wave packets towards a vertical wall over a varying bathymetry is investigated with a one-dimensional conformal-mapping spectral code. In this system, wave breaking, runup and reflection, wave interference and bathymetric effects are highlighted. Wave breaking is examined with respect to geometric, kinematic and energetic conditions, with consistent results. The breaking strength is characterized for spilling and plunging based on initial wave period and amplitude. Non-breaking waves are amplified by reflection, interference and the bathymetry leading to large runups. In a typical example inspired by a real-world bathymetry, the maximum runup amplification approaches a factor of 12 – large enough for a 3 m amplitude wave to overtop a 30 m cliff.