On generation and propagation of tsunamis in a shallow running ocean

A theory is presented of the generation and propagation of the two and the three dimensional tsunamis in a shallow running ocean due to the action of an arbitrary ocean floor or ocean surface disturbance. Integral solutions for both two and three dimensional problems are obtained by using the generalized Fourier and Laplace transforms. An asymptotic analysis is carried out for the investigation of the principal features of the free surface elevation. It is found that the propagation of the tsunamis depends on the relative magnitude of the given speed of the running ocean and the wave speed of the shallow ocean. When the speed of the running ocean is less than the speed of the shallow ocean wave, both the two and the three dimensional free surface elevation represent the generation and propagation of surface waves which decay asymptotically as t − 1 2 for the two dimensional case and as t − 1 for the three dimensional tsunamis. Several important features of the solution are discussed in some detail. As an application of the general theory, some physically realistic ocean floor disturbances are included in this paper.