Hamiltonian model for coupled surface and internal waves over currents and uneven bottom

Abstract: A Hamiltonian model for the propagation of internal water waves interacting with surface waves, a current and an uneven bottom is examined. Using the so-called Dirichlet-Neumann operators, the water wave system is expressed in the Hamiltonian form, and thus the motions of the internal waves and surface waves are determined by the Hamiltonian formulation. Choosing an appropriate scaling of the variables and employing the Hamiltonian perturbation theory from Hamiltonian formulation of the dynamics, we derive a KdV-type equation with variable coefficients depending on the bottom topography to describe the internal waves.