Influence of Mesh Resolution on Hurricane Storm Surge and Wave Predictions
Abstract
The prediction of hurricane storm surge and waves using dynamically coupled models is nearly ubiquitous in the disciplines of coastal science and engineering. The quality of the models we apply, and the resources we have at our disposal to simulate these complex processes, have improved greatly. Yet we often still struggle to answer a fundamental numerical modeling question: at what spatial resolution must these processes be simulated? While the answer to this question is sometimes obvious, there are potentially nuances that we continue to overlook regarding the impacts of mesh resolution on the prediction of coastal hazards. This presentation seeks to provide insight into this issue. Hindcast simulations of Hurricane Ike were performed recently using the dynamically coupled version of ADCIRC+SWAN as part of a hurricane testbed development program for a NIST-funded project focused on community resilience. Simulations were performed using meshes of both low and high resolution. This presentation will contrast the results of the two simulations with a specific emphasis on model-data comparisons and the errors they yield, both in space and time. The spatial correlation of errors will be described in terms of bathymetric, topographic, and roughness characterizations between the two meshes. These errors and characterizations will be further compared to a number of other metrics, including census data and socioeconomic indicators, to determine whether persistent bias negatively impacts the description of coastal hazards for underserved or elderly populations.
- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2018
- Bibcode:
- 2018AGUFMOS53A..07W
- Keywords:
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- 4546 Nearshore processes;
- OCEANOGRAPHY: PHYSICALDE: 4558 Sediment transport;
- OCEANOGRAPHY: PHYSICALDE: 4562 Topographic/bathymetric interactions;
- OCEANOGRAPHY: PHYSICALDE: 4564 Tsunamis and storm surges;
- OCEANOGRAPHY: PHYSICAL