Long wave approximation for water waves under a Coriolis forcing and the Ostrovsky equation

TL;DR

This paper rigorously derives and justifies asymptotic models for water waves under Coriolis forcing, including the Ostrovsky equation, providing the first mathematical validation of this model in the context of geophysical fluid dynamics.

Contribution

The work introduces a generalized Boussinesq model incorporating vorticity and Coriolis effects, and provides the first rigorous derivation and justification of the Ostrovsky equation for water waves.

Findings

Derivation of a generalized Boussinesq equation with Coriolis effects.

Mathematical justification of the Ostrovsky equation as an asymptotic model.

Extension to Green-Naghdi equations for variable topography.

Abstract

This paper is devoted to the study of the long wave approximation for water waves under the influence of the gravity and a Coriolis forcing. We start by deriving a generalization of the Boussinesq equations in 1D (in space) and we rigorously justify them as an asymptotic model of the water waves equations. These new Boussinesq equations are not the classical Boussinesq equations. A new term due to the vorticity and the Coriolis forcing appears that can not be neglected. Then, we study the Boussinesq regime and we derive and fully justify different asymptotic models when the bottom is flat : a linear equation linked to the Klein-Gordon equation admitting the so-called Poincar{\'e} waves; the Ostrovsky equation, which is a generalization of the KdV equation in presence of a Coriolis forcing, when the rotation is weak; and finally the KdV equation when the rotation is very weak. Therefore, this work provides the first mathematical justification of the Ostrovsky equation. Finally, we derive a generalization of the Green-Naghdi equations in 1D in space for small topography variations and we show that this model is consistent with the water waves equations.