Lagrangian-like Volume Tracking Paradigm for Mass, Momentum and Energy of Nearshore Tsunamis and Damping Mechanism

Dae Hong Kim, Sangyoung Son

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    5 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    There is a gap between model- or theory-based research outputs, which suggest that the runup and amplification of nonbreaking waves generally increase as the sea bottom slopes decrease, and field observations, which indicate that tsunami damage has been rarely reported in places with vast continental shelfs. To resolve this contradiction, we propose a Lagrangian-like volume tracking paradigm to describe the energy, mass, and momentum of travelling nearshore tsunamis and apply the paradigm to analyse the tsunami damping mechanism at typical geophysical scales. The results support the following conclusions: (i) The suggested paradigm is consistent with field observations; continental shelfs with long and mild slopes can effectively diminish tsunami impacts. (ii) Potential energy becomes significant due to the energy transformation process on steeply sloped bathymetries. (iii) On mild-sloped bathymetries, tsunami potential and kinetic energies are conserved until breaking occurs. After breaking, undular bores attenuate tsunami energies effectively. (iv) For extended continental shelf bathymetries, more of the tsunami mass is reflected offshore.

    Original languageEnglish
    Article number14183
    JournalScientific reports
    Volume8
    Issue number1
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2018 Dec 1

    Bibliographical note

    Publisher Copyright:
    © 2018, The Author(s).

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • General

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