Integrated Modeling of Storm Surge, Waves and Tides to Support Coastal Flood Risk Management in Puget Sound

Presentation Abstract

The Pacific Northwest coastal communities are subject to the threat of storm surge and extreme waves induced by extreme windstorms. Coastal flood risks caused by storm surge and extreme waves can be exacerbated by high tides and sea-level rise as a result of global warming. To better prepare for anticipated future coastal flood risks, it is important to accurately predict storm surge, waves and tides. This paper presents an integrated modeling study of simulating coastal inundation induced by storm surge, waves and tides in the Salish Sea using the unstructured-grid finite volume coastal ocean model FVCOM. Tidal simulation was driven by tidal open boundary conditions obtained from the Oregon State University global inverse tidal model. The wave model was forced with the NOAA regional WaveWatchIII model outputs at the open boundary off the outer-continental shelf. Storm surge simulation was forced by sea surface wind and air pressure obtained from the Global Forecast System (GFS) reanalysis products produced by NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP). The wave model was validated with observed wave buoy data along the US west coast. Tide and storm surge simulations were validated with NOAA tide gage data along the west coast as well as in Puget Sound. Comparisons of model results with observed data indicated that the Salish Sea model successfully simulated tides, waves and storm surge under normal sea state as well as extreme windstorm conditions. Model results also indicated that the effect of wave-current interaction on significant wave height was significant in the shallow-water estuaries and coastal bays. Finally, coastal flooding induced by the combined effects of storm surge, waves, tides, as well as future sea-level rise in Puget Sound are quantified and discussed.

Session Title

Flood Management, Climate Adaptation and the Environment in the Salish Sea

Conference Track

Protection, Remediation and Restoration

Conference Name

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2016 : Vancouver, B.C.)

Document Type

Event

Start Date

2016 12:00 AM

End Date

2016 12:00 AM

Location

2016SSEC

Type of Presentation

Oral

Genre/Form

conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)

Contributing Repository

Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.

Subjects – Topical (LCSH)

Storm surges--Computer simulation--Salish Sea Region (B.C. and Wash.); Flood hazard mitigation--Salish Sea Region (B.C. and Wash.)

Geographic Coverage

Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)

Comments

Hi I am trying to select the session "Planning for Coastal Hazards, Climate Change, and Sea Level Rise in Washington State", which is shown in the session description, but it is not available from the session selection list.

Rights

This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.

Type

Text

Language

English

Format

application/pdf

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Integrated Modeling of Storm Surge, Waves and Tides to Support Coastal Flood Risk Management in Puget Sound

2016SSEC

The Pacific Northwest coastal communities are subject to the threat of storm surge and extreme waves induced by extreme windstorms. Coastal flood risks caused by storm surge and extreme waves can be exacerbated by high tides and sea-level rise as a result of global warming. To better prepare for anticipated future coastal flood risks, it is important to accurately predict storm surge, waves and tides. This paper presents an integrated modeling study of simulating coastal inundation induced by storm surge, waves and tides in the Salish Sea using the unstructured-grid finite volume coastal ocean model FVCOM. Tidal simulation was driven by tidal open boundary conditions obtained from the Oregon State University global inverse tidal model. The wave model was forced with the NOAA regional WaveWatchIII model outputs at the open boundary off the outer-continental shelf. Storm surge simulation was forced by sea surface wind and air pressure obtained from the Global Forecast System (GFS) reanalysis products produced by NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP). The wave model was validated with observed wave buoy data along the US west coast. Tide and storm surge simulations were validated with NOAA tide gage data along the west coast as well as in Puget Sound. Comparisons of model results with observed data indicated that the Salish Sea model successfully simulated tides, waves and storm surge under normal sea state as well as extreme windstorm conditions. Model results also indicated that the effect of wave-current interaction on significant wave height was significant in the shallow-water estuaries and coastal bays. Finally, coastal flooding induced by the combined effects of storm surge, waves, tides, as well as future sea-level rise in Puget Sound are quantified and discussed.