Data and numerical analysis of astronomic tides, wind‐waves, and hurricane storm surge along the northern Gulf of Mexico

Abstract

The northern Gulf of Mexico (NGOM) is a unique geophysical setting for complex tropical storm‐induced hydrodynamic processes that occur across a variety of spatial and temporal scales. Each hurricane includes its own distinctive characteristics and can cause unique and devastating storm surge when it strikes within the intricate geometric setting of the NGOM. While a number of studies have explored hurricane storm surge in the NGOM, few have attempted to describe storm surge and coastal inundation using observed data in conjunction with a single large‐domain high‐resolution numerical model. To better understand the oceanic and nearshore response to these tropical cyclones, we provide a detailed assessment, based on field measurements and numerical simulation, of the evolution of wind waves, water levels, and currents for Hurricanes Ivan (2004), Dennis (2005), Katrina (2005), and Isaac (2012), with focus on Mississippi, Alabama, and the Florida Panhandle coasts. The developed NGOM3 computational model describes the hydraulic connectivity among the various inlet and bay systems, Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, coastal rivers and adjacent marsh, and built infrastructure along the coastal floodplain. The outcome is a better understanding of the storm surge generating mechanisms and interactions among hurricane characteristics and the NGOM's geophysical configuration. The numerical analysis and observed data explain the ∼2 m/s hurricane‐induced geostrophic currents across the continental shelf, a 6 m/s outflow current during Ivan, the hurricane‐induced coastal Kelvin wave along the shelf, and for the first time a wealth of measured data and a detailed numerical simulation was performed and was presented for Isaac.

Tidal hydrodynamics under future sea level rise and coastal morphology in the Northern Gulf of Mexico

“…To simulate tidal hydrodynamics, this study uses ADCIRC‐2DDI, a code that solves the depth‐integrated shallow water equations for water surface elevations and currents [ Luettich et al , ]. The model is a compilation of three previously developed models [ Bilskie et al , ]. The unstructured finite element mesh describes the Western North Atlantic Tidal model domain west of the 60°W meridian (open ocean boundary), including the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico.…”

Numerical Modeling of Historical Storm Tides and Waves and Their Interactions Along the U.S. East and Gulf Coasts

“…However, because measurements are spatially scarce and/or the record length is not sufficient, numerical models are usually used to simulate extreme sea levels at local, regional, and global scales. To date, most of the historical storm surge and wave modeling studies for the U.S. East and Gulf Coasts have focused on individual TCs in a specific region (e.g., Bilskie et al, ; Bunya et al, ; Dietrich et al, ; Hope et al, ; Kennedy et al, ; Lin et al, ; Marsooli et al, ; Orton et al, ; Shen et al, ; Sheng et al, ; Westerink et al, ). In addition to historical surge and wave modeling, probabilistic flood hazard assessment studies also usually focus on a specific region (e.g., Lin & Emanuel ; Lin et al, ; Orton et al, ).…”

Dynamic simulation and numerical analysis of hurricane storm surge under sea level rise with geomorphologic changes along the northern Gulf of Mexico

“…Passeri et al [] continued this work with a focus on validating the modeling framework for astronomic tides and shoreline morphology. They used a high‐resolution astronomic tide, wind‐wave, and hurricane storm surge presented by Bilskie et al [b] that contains the entire coast of Mississippi, Alabama, and the Florida Panhandle. The model's representation of the coastal landscape was modified based on an estimate of future shoreline positions and primary dune heights for four SLR derived from a Bayesian network purposed in Plant et al [].…”