Published online by Cambridge University Press: 17 February 2009
Equations are derived to approximately describe the propagation of small amplitude surface and interfacial waves across small irregularities in depth in a two-layer fluid. When the irregularities are sinusoidal, Bragg interaction effects between an incident surface wave and the bottom corrugations can lead to a large-amplitude reflected interfacial wave or a large-amplitude transmitted interfacial wave if the incident surface wave is relatively long and the lower layer shallow in comparison with the upper layer.