Past exam of the mathematics and the environment course of the University of Oxford / 2011 / 3

These are the one-dimensional shallow water equations with bed slope and friction. The coordinate $s$ measures distance downstream, $t$ is time, $A(s,t)$ is the wetted cross-sectional area, $u(s,t)$ is section-averaged downstream velocity, and $h(s,t)$ is water water depth above the bed. Thus $Au$ is water volume flux and the first equation expresses mass conservation.

In the momentum equation, $u_t+u{u}_s$ is the material acceleration, $g$ is gravitational acceleration, and $S$ is the positive downward bed slope, so $gS$ drives the flow. The wetted perimeter is $l$ and $f$ is a dimensionless friction coefficient in the stated convention. The frictional deceleration is $fl{u}^2/A$ for downstream flow, while $-g{h}_s$ is the hydrostatic pressure contribution from surface-height variation relative to the sloping bed. The formula $u^2$ assumes the chosen positive-flow direction; a bidirectional friction model uses $u|u|$.

Let $B$ be the constant canal width, large compared with water depth. Then $A\simeq Bh$ and $l\simeq B$, so friction is $f{u}^2/h$. Choose a reference uniform water depth $H$, normal-flow speed $U$ satisfying $f{U}^2/H=gS$, and scalesThe continuity equation becomes ${\hat{h}}_{\hat{t}}+(\hat{h}\hat{u}{)}_{\hat{s}}=0$. Dividing momentum by $gS$ and dropping hats givesThe Froude number compares velocity to long gravity-wave speed. At the reference state, $F<1$ is subcritical flow, $F=1$ critical flow, and $F>1$ supercritical flow. In dimensional variables the wave characteristics travel at $u\pm \sqrt{gh}$: one can propagate upstream in subcritical flow, while both move downstream in supercritical flow. Away from the reference state the local Froude number is $F|u|/\sqrt{h}$.

For the travelling wave $\xi =s+ct$, continuity gives $(ch+hu{)}^{\prime }=0$. The upstream state fixes the constant as $1+c$, henceSubstituting in momentum yieldssoA constant downstream state $H=h_{+}>1$ requires $H^3=(1+c-cH{)}^2$. The positive square-root choice would give $c<0$, so the upstream-moving wave uses $1+c-cH=-H^{3/2}$. ThusThe downstream flow reverses. Where the numerator is positive in $1<h<H$, a smooth increasing profile requires a positive denominator. Its minimum occurs at $h=1$, givingEquality does not give the prescribed asymptotic upstream state: cancellation of the two simple zeros at $h=1$ leaves a nonzero slope there. For the strict inequality, separation of variables constructs the monotone profile whenever the numerator remains positive between its endpoint zeros.

There is an additional restriction hidden in the printed positivity hint. Put $r=\sqrt{h}$ and $R=\sqrt{H}$. Since $c=R+1/(R-1)$, the potentially vanishing factor of the numerator isThe other factor, $h^{3/2}-(1+c-ch)$, is positive for $h>1$. Therefore the asserted positivity throughout $1<h<H$ holds precisely for $1<R\le 2$, that is $1<H\le 4$. For $H>4$, the zero at $h=[R/(R-1){]}^2$ intervenes before $H$, preventing the requested monotone connection. For example $H=9$, $c=3.5$, $h=4$ gives $h^3-(1+c-ch{)}^2=-26.25$. Thus the smooth upstream tidal-wave admissibility conditions areAt $h_{+}=4$ the downstream zero is double, giving an algebraic approach; below four the endpoint approaches are exponential. The displayed Froude number bound is the requested necessary condition, with the source's missing amplitude qualification made explicit.

Write $e=E^{\prime }(1)>0$, $q_1=q^{\prime }(1)>0$ and introduce perturbations $(H,U,C,S)e^{\lambda t+ikx}$ to water depth, velocity, concentration and bed height. Take the leading quasi-steady approximation $ϵ=0$ for the fast water and suspension response, retaining the small friction parameter $\delta$. For $k\ne 0$, the linearized equations areHere surface height is $H+S$, and linearization of $1-u^2/h$ gives $H-2U=-3U$. Eliminating $H,C,U$ gives the dispersion relationIn particular, putting $B=F^2-1\ne 0$ and expanding at large $|k|$,Thus the temporal growth rate tends to a finite constant, while the phase velocity isFor supercritical flow $F>1$, the waves propagate upstream. They grow if $\beta e(F^2-1)>3\delta q_1$; at leading order in small $\delta$, this holds for fixed positive $\beta ,e$ away from critical flow. They are antidunes, upstream-migrating bedforms coupled to the free surface. Indeed $H=-U$ and $S\simeq -(F^2-1)U$, so surface height $H+S\simeq -F^{2}U$ is in phase with the bed perturbation in this regime.

For clarity, neglecting $\delta$ completely gives the exact leading-order expressionsThese also identify the missing qualification in the source: the unstable upstream branch requires $F>1$. For $F<1$ this leading model gives decay and downstream propagation. The near-critical case $F^2-1\simeq 0$ needs a different balance; it is not covered by the expansion. Small nonzero $ϵ$ perturbs the slow bedform branch and adds fast water modes, so the stated result concerns the leading slow morphodynamic branch. This is the high-wavenumber antidune dispersion calculation.