Abstract: Many new forms of Boussinesq-type equations have been developed to extend the range of applicability of the classical Boussinesq equations to deeper water in the study of the surface waves. One approach was used by Nwogu (1993. J. Wtrw. Port Coastal and Oc. Eng. 119, 618--638) to improve the linear dispersion characteristics of the classical Boussinesq equations by using the velocity at an arbitrary level as the velocity variable in derived equations and obtain a new form of Boussinesq-type equations, in which the dispersion property can be optimized by choosing the velocity variable at an adequate level. In this paper, a set of Boussinesq-type equations describing the motions of the interfacial waves propagating alone the interface between two homogeneous incompressible and inviscid fluids of different densities with a free surface and a variable water depth were derived using a method similar to that used by Nwogu (1993. J. Wtrw. Port Coastal and Oc. Eng. 119, 618--638) for surface waves. The equations were expressed in terms of the displacements of free surface and density-interface, and the velocity vectors at arbitrary vertical locations in the upper layer and the lower layer (or depth-averaged velocity vector across each layer) of a two-layer fluid. As expected, the equations derived in the present work include as special cases those obtained by Nwogu (1993, J. Wtrw. Port Coastal and Oc. Eng. 119, 618-638) and Peregrine (1967, J. Fluid Mech. 27, 815-827) for surface waves when the density of the upper fluid is taken as zero.

Key words: two-layer fluid, interfacial internal waves, Boussinesq-type equations