A note on Hamiltonian for long water waves in varying depth

The Hamiltonian for two-dimensional long waves over a slowly varying depth is derived. The vertical variation of the velocity field is obtained by using a perturbation method in terms of velocity potential. Employing the canonical theorem, the conventional Boussinesq equations are recovered. The Hamiltonian becomes negative when the wavelength becomes short. A modified Hamiltonian is constructed so that it remains positive and finite for short waves. The corresponding Boussinesq-type equations are then given.