Numerical simulation of wave reflection and transmission characteristics over a cross-section of coral atoll topography based on the modified mild-slope equation

LI Xianli, NI Yunlin, CHEN Songgui, CHEN Jingren, XIE Jianjian

Journal of Marine Sciences ›› 2026, Vol. 44 ›› Issue (2) : 65-73.

PDF(2173 KB)
PDF(2173 KB)
Journal of Marine Sciences ›› 2026, Vol. 44 ›› Issue (2) : 65-73. DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1001-909X.2026.02.007

Numerical simulation of wave reflection and transmission characteristics over a cross-section of coral atoll topography based on the modified mild-slope equation

Author information +
History +

Abstract

During the propagation of waves from deep sea to nearshore, reflection and transmission occur due to changes in water depth and complex topography. In particular, when the seabed topography exhibits periodic variations, the well-known wave Bragg resonance phenomenon emerges. Based on the modified mild-slope equation, this paper established a corresponding finite-difference numerical model to investigate the effects of cross-sectional topography of a coral reef profile on wave reflection and transmission. First, the model was validated by simulating wave reflection over a periodically undulating trapezoidal topography on a horizontal seabed. The numerical results showed good agreement with existing analytical solutions, confirming the reliability of the model. Subsequently, the systematic analysis was conducted to examine the effects of the relative lagoon depth (lagoon depth relative to the water depth in the study area, h1/h0) and the relative excavation pit depth (excavation pit depth relative to the water depth in the study area, hp/h0) on the coefficients of wave reflection and transmission. The results indicate that as h1/h0 increases, the reflection coefficient corresponding to wave resonance increases significantly, while the transmission coefficient gradually decreases. Moreover, the bandwidth of the resonance band widens, and the resonance frequencies of both reflected and transmitted waves shift downward. In contrast, with an increase in hp/h0, the reflection coefficient at resonance decreases slightly, while the transmission coefficient shows a certain increasing trend. Additionally, as hp/h0 increases from 3/7 to 5/7, the resonance frequencies of both reflected and transmitted waves shift upward.

Key words

wave Bragg resonance / modified mild-slope equation / finite difference method / coral atoll / reflection / transmission / lagoon / excavation pit

Cite this article

Download Citations
LI Xianli , NI Yunlin , CHEN Songgui , et al . Numerical simulation of wave reflection and transmission characteristics over a cross-section of coral atoll topography based on the modified mild-slope equation[J]. Journal of Marine Sciences. 2026, 44(2): 65-73 https://doi.org/10.3969/j.issn.1001-909X.2026.02.007

References

[1]
DAVIES A G. On the interaction between surface-waves and undulations on the seabed[J]. Journal of Marine Research, 1982, 40 (2): 331-368.
[2]
姚宇. 珊瑚礁海岸水动力学问题研究综述[J]. 水科学进展, 2019, 30(1):139-152.
YAO Y. A review of the coral reef hydrodynamics[J]. Advances in Water Science, 2019, 30(1): 139-152.
[3]
HARDY T A, YOUNG I R. Field study of wave attenuation on an offshore coral reef[J]. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 1996, 101(C6): 14311-14326.
[4]
ROBERTS H H, MURRAY S P, SUHAYDA J N. Physical processes in a fringing reef system[J]. Journal of Marine Research, 1975, 33(2): 233-260.
[5]
YAO Y, HUANG Z H, MONISMITH S G, et al. Charac-teristics of monochromatic waves breaking over fringing reefs[J]. Journal of Coastal Research, 2013, 29(1): 94-104.
[6]
YAO Y, HE W R, DU R C, et al. Study on wave-induced setup overfringing reefs in the presence of a reef crest[J]. Applied Ocean Research, 2017, 66: 164-177.
[7]
姚宇, 何天城, 唐政江, 等. 珊瑚礁礁坪宽度对波浪传播变形及增水影响的实验研究[J]. 热带海洋学报, 2019, 38(2):13-19.
YAO Y, HE T C, TANG Z J, et al. Laboratory study on the effect of varying reef-flat width on wave transformation and wave-induced setup[J]. Journal of Tropical Oceanography, 2019, 38(2): 13-19.
[8]
FANG K Z, LIU Z B, ZOU Z L. Fully nonlinear modeling wave transformation over fringing reefs using shock-capturing Boussinesq model[J]. Journal of Coastal Research, 2016, 32(1): 164-171.
[9]
FANG K Z, XIAO L, LIU Z B, et al. Experiment and RANS modeling of solitary wave impact on a vertical wall mounted on a reef flat[J]. Ocean Engineering, 2022, 244: 110384.
[10]
诸裕良, 虞琦, 赵红军, 等. 岸礁地形上波浪增水和传递波的数值模拟研究[J]. 水道港口, 2019, 40(1):48-56.
ZHU Y L, YU Q, ZHAO H J, et al. Numerical simulation of wave setup and transmitted wave over fringing reefs[J]. Journal of Waterway and Harbor, 2019, 40(1): 48-56.
[11]
BERKHOFF J C W. Computation of combined refraction: Diffraction[C]// Coastal Engineering 1972. Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. American Society of Civil Engineers, 1972: 471-490.
[12]
刘焕文. 缓坡方程解析解的研究进展综述[C]// 第十七届中国海洋(岸)工程学术讨论会论文集, 南宁,2015:339-344.
[13]
CHAMBERLAIN P G, PORTER D. The modified mild-slope equation[J]. Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 1995, 291: 393-407.
[14]
CHANDRASEKERA C N, CHEUNG K F. Extended linear refraction-diffraction model[J]. Journal of Waterway, Port, Coastal, and Ocean Engineering, 1997, 123(5): 280-286.
[15]
李孟国, 王正林, 蒋德才. 近岸波浪传播变形数学模型的研究与进展[J]. 海洋工程, 2002, 20(4):43-57.
LI M G, WANG Z L, JIANG D C. A review on the mathematical models of wave transformation in the nearshore region[J]. The Ocean Engineering, 2002, 20(4): 43-57.
[16]
XIE J J, XIONG W, LIU H W. Bragg reflection of linear shallow-water waves by an array of widely spaced trapezoidal bars on a fringing reef flat[J]. Ocean Engineering, 2024, 292: 116593.
[17]
旷敏, 姚宇, 彭尔曼. 潮流作用下环礁断面的流动特征研究[J]. 海洋通报, 2024, 43(3):312-320.
KUANG M, YAO Y, PENG E M. A study of the flow characteristics across an atoll reef transect under the effects of tidal currents[J]. Marine Science Bulletin, 2024, 43(3): 312-320.
[18]
李俊杰, 屈科, 王旭. 采掘坑对孤立波岸礁水动力特性影响的三维数值模拟研究[J]. 热带海洋学报, 2023, 42(6):42-51.
LI J J, QU K, WANG X. Three-dimensional numerical simulation of the influence of excavation pit on the hydrodynamic characteristics of solitary wave on fringing reef[J]. Journal of Tropical Oceanography, 2023, 42(6): 42-51.
PDF(2173 KB)

Accesses

Citation

Detail

Sections
Recommended

/