Variable-width shallow-water characteristics ($D_{\pm }(u\pm 2c)=\mp cu{b}^{\prime }/b$)

For a rectangular channel with stationary width $b(x)$ and constant reduced gravity $g^{\prime }$, volume conservation and momentum conservation give $h_t+u{h}_x+h{u}_x=-hu{b}^{\prime }/b$ and $u_t+u{u}_x+g^{\prime }{h}_x=0$. With $c=\sqrt{g^{\prime }h}$ the characteristic curves have speeds $u\pm c$. The combinations $u\pm 2c$ obey the displayed compatibility equations; they are Riemann invariants only when the width source term vanishes.