The Interaction of a Mode-1 Internal Solitary Wave with a Step and the Generation of Mode-2 Waves

We examine the transformation of a mode-1 internal solitary wave incident on a bottom step, and the consequent generation of mode-2 internal solitary waves. A linear long wave theory of mode coupling in the vicinity of the step is used to estimate the mode-1 and mode-2 wave reflection and transmission coefficients, and hence the energy fluxes. Away from the step, the wave evolution of the transmitted and reflected waves is simulated by the Korteweg-de Vries equation. Specific calculations are made using a three-layer fluid model. Three different regimes based on the layer thicknesses are examined and discussed in detail, for either depression or elevation mode-1 incident waves. The common features found are that the transmitted waves (mainly mode-1) are the dominant part; most of the incident energy is transmitted and only a small part is reflected. The amplitudes of the generated mode-2 waves and the reflected mode-1 waves increase, when either the upper or middle layer thickness increases. When the lower layer is thin enough, the amplitude of the transmitted mode-2 wave can be larger than the mode-1 waves and the reflected energy can increase considerably which we infer may be due to a blocking effect of the step on the lower layer. The evolution away from the step is either fission into several solitary waves, or the development of a rarefaction wave followed by an undular bore, depending on the relative signs of the wave amplitudes and the nonlinear coefficient in the Korteweg-de Vries equation.