The AMANDES model for the Amazon estuary and shelf
Abstract
The AMANDES project aims to study transports from the Andean mountains to the Atlantic Ocean through the Amazon system. This requires realistic estuarine modelling in this area strongly forced by tides and river discharge. As none of the existing models for this region would fit the actual needs of the project, a specific new generation model has been implemented. The model is based on the hydrodynamic finite element model T-UGOm. As the Amazon estuary is a very shallow macro-tidal area, it is necessary to improve the available bathymetries and to develop a precise bottom friction parametrisation. I will discuss the implementation of a high resolution regional model, which has allowed to develop a precise and accurate tidal model: for instance, the overall root mean square error on complex differences is reduced from 54 cm in a standard model to 27 cm in our best model. Such precise and accurate tidal modelling is a prerequisite for modelling particle transport. I will address this last topic as a conclusion.
- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2010
- Bibcode:
- 2010AGUFMOS13D1282L
- Keywords:
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- 4217 OCEANOGRAPHY: GENERAL / Coastal processes;
- 4534 OCEANOGRAPHY: PHYSICAL / Hydrodynamic modeling;
- 4558 OCEANOGRAPHY: PHYSICAL / Sediment transport;
- 4560 OCEANOGRAPHY: PHYSICAL / Surface waves and tides