A splitting approach for the fully nonlinear and weakly dispersive Green–Naghdi model

The fully nonlinear and weakly dispersive Green–Naghdi model for shallow water waves of large amplitude is studied. The original model is first recast under a new formulation more suitable for numerical resolution. An hybrid finite volume and finite difference splitting approach is then proposed, which could be adapted to many physical models that are dispersive corrections of hyperbolic systems. The hyperbolic part of the equations is handled with a high-order finite volume scheme allowing for breaking waves and dry areas. The dispersive part is treated with a classical finite difference approach. Extensive numerical validations are then performed in one horizontal dimension, relying both on analytical solutions and experimental data. The results show that our approach gives a good account of all the processes of wave transformation in coastal areas: shoaling, wave breaking and run-up. 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.