Performance Assessment of NAMI DANCE in Tsunami Evolution and Currents Using a Benchmark Problem

Numerical modeling of tsunami evolution, propagation, and inundation is complicated due to numerous parameters involved in the phenomenon. It is important to assess the performance of numerical codes that solve tsunami motion, as well as flow and velocity patterns. NAMI DANCE is a computational tool developed for the modeling of long waves. It provides numerical modeling and efficient visualization of tsunami generation, propagation, and inundation mechanisms and computes the tsunami parameters. In the theory of long waves, the vertical motion of water particles has no effect on the pressure distribution. Based upon this approximation and neglecting vertical acceleration, the equations of mass conservation and momentum are reduced to two-dimensional depth-averaged equations. NAMI DANCE uses finite difference computational method to solve linear and nonlinear forms of depth-averaged shallow water equations in long wave problems. In this study, NAMI DANCE is applied to a benchmark problem which was discussed in the 2015 National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program (NTHMP) annual meeting in Portland, USA. The benchmark problem features a series of experiments in which a single solitary wave propagates up a triangular shaped shelf which has an offshore island feature. The problem provides detailed free surface elevation and velocity time series in the vicinity of the island. The comparison of the results showed that NAMI DANCE is able to satisfactorily predict long wave evolution, propagation, amplification, and tsunami currents