NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF A TSUNAMI WAVE GENERATED BY AN ICE BLOCK IMPACT WITH REALISTIC SEABED TOPOGRAPHY

Kolosovskiy E. V., Kataeva L. Yu.

This study presents a numerical simulation of tsunami wave formation caused by the impact of an ice block falling into a body of water with a non-uniform bottom profile. As a case study, a basin with a realistic bathymetric profile, characteristic of Arctic coastal zones where large ice masses may detach, is considered. The relevance of the problem is driven by the increasing frequency of such events, which can generate local tsunamis and pose a threat to coastal infrastructure. Special attention is paid to regions with a high probability of glacier front collapses. Despite their potential hazard, these phenomena remain poorly studied in the context of numerical modeling. The mathematical model is based on the one-dimensional shallow water equations under the hydrostatic approximation. The ice block is modeled as a vertically moving rectangular body that displaces water and generates a surface wave. Simulations are performed on a regular grid with a spatial step of 1 meter and a time step of 0.05 seconds. The Lax–Friedrichs scheme is used for numerical integration, providing stable computation in the presence of steep gradients. The model accounts for the physical properties of ice and water, enabling realistic reproduction of the initial wave generation phase. To evaluate the correctness of the implementation, the algorithm was tested on an idealized basin with a rectangular ice-like body. The results demonstrate a characteristic wave pattern: formation of a central surge, subsequent evolution, and gradual attenuation of the wave, confirming the physical reliability of the approach. The model can be easily adapted for various wave generation scenarios and used as a research and educational tool.

Keywords:tsunami, ice block impact, bathymetry, shallow water waves, numerical modeling, Lax–Friedrichs, free surface, one-dimensional model.