A coupled finite and boundary spectral element method for linear water-wave propagation problems

TL;DR

This paper introduces a coupled boundary spectral element and spectral element method for simulating small-amplitude water wave propagation over variable bathymetries, combining flexibility and accurate radiation condition enforcement.

Contribution

The work presents a novel coupled BSEM-SEM formulation that models complex bathymetries with spectral accuracy and enforces radiation conditions effectively.

Findings

Validated with three benchmark cases showing spectral convergence.

Achieved accurate modeling of water waves over irregular bottom surfaces.

Demonstrated the method's effectiveness for different bathymetry shapes.

Abstract

A coupled boundary spectral element method (BSEM) and spectral element method (SEM) formulation for the propagation of small-amplitude water waves over variable bathymetries is presented in this work. The wave model is based on the mild-slope equation (MSE), which provides a good approximation of the propagation of water waves over irregular bottom surfaces with slopes up to 1:3. In unbounded domains or infinite regions, space can be divided into two different areas: a central region of interest, where an irregular bathymetry is included, and an exterior infinite region with straight and parallel bathymetric lines. The SEM allows us to model the central region, where any variation of the bathymetry can be considered, while the exterior infinite region is modelled by the BSEM which, combined with the fundamental solution presented by Cerrato et al. [A. Cerrato, J. A. Gonz\'alez, L. Rodr\'iguez-Tembleque, Boundary element formulation of the mild-slope equation for harmonic water waves propagating over unidirectional variable bathymetries, Eng. Anal. Boundary Elem. 62 (2016) 22-34.] can include bathymetries with straight and parallel contour lines. This coupled model combines important advantages of both methods; it benefits from the flexibility of the SEM for the interior region and, at the same time, includes the fulfilment of the Sommerfeld's radiation condition for the exterior problem, that is provided by the BSEM. The solution approximation inside the elements is constructed by high order Legendre polynomials associated with Legendre-Gauss-Lobatto quadrature points, providing a spectral convergence for both methods. The proposed formulation has been validated in three different benchmark cases with different shapes of the bottom surface. The solutions exhibit the typical p-convergence of spectral methods.