Modelling solitons under the hydrostatic and Boussinesq approximations

An examination of solitary waves in 3D, time-dependant hydrostatic and Boussinesq numerical models is presented. It is shown that waves in these models will deform and that only the acceleration term in the vertical momentum equation need be included to correct the wave propagation. Modelling of solitary waves propagating near the surface of a small to medium body of water, such as a lake, are used to illustrate the results. The results are also compared with experiments performed by other authors. Then as an improvement, an alternative numerical scheme is used which includes only the vertical acceleration term. Effects of horizontal and vertical diffusion on soliton wave structure is also discussed. Copyright (C) 2003 John Wiley Sons, Ltd.