Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2022 / iii / Paper 345 / 2 / a

The shallow-water approximation requires $h/L\ll 1$, a nearly hydrostatic pressure, negligible vertical acceleration, and approximately depth-independent horizontal velocity, concentration, and density. The large Reynolds number allows viscous stress to be neglected away from thin boundary layers, while the deep ambient is taken to remain stationary.

For unit channel width, volume conservation, chemical conservation, and mass conservation are respectivelyandEntrained ambient fluid contains no chemical and enters with density ${\rho }_0$; detrained fluid carries the local concentration and density. The ambient has no horizontal momentum, whereas detrained fluid carries horizontal momentum $\rho u$ per unit volume. The depth-integrated momentum conservation law is thereforeso $M=-\rho u{w}_d$.