Liouville-type results for time-dependent stratified water flows over variable bottom in the β-plane approximation

Abstract

We consider here time-dependent three-dimensional stratified geophysical water flows of finite depth over a variable bottom with a free surface and an interface (separating two layers of constant and different densities). Under the assumption that the vorticity vectors in the two layers are constant, we prove that bounded solutions to the three-dimensional water waves equations in the β-plane approximation exist if and only if one of the horizontal components of the velocity, as well as its vertical component, are zero; the other horizontal component being constant. Moreover, the interface is flat, the free surface has a traveling character in the horizontal direction of the nonvanishing velocity component, being of general type in the other horizontal direction, and the pressure is hydrostatic in both layers. Unlike previous studies of three-dimensional flows with constant vorticity in each layer, we consider a non-flat bottom boundary and different constant vorticity vectors for the upper and lower layer.