Development and application of a Biophysical-Surge-Wave Model
Thursday, 26 January 2017
Ballroom II (San Juan Marriott)
Ehab A Meselhe1, Fei Xing1, Qin Jim Chen2, Kelin Hu3 and Songjie He2, (1)The Water Institute of the Gulf, Baton Rouge, LA, United States, (2)Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, United States, (3)Louisiana State University, Center for Computation & Technology, Baton Rouge, LA, United States
Abstract:
Coastal regions are among the most productive and dynamic eco-geomorphic systems in the world. With a long history of human reliance on their natural resources for food, commerce, recreation, protection and cultural identity, habitation of coastal areas is still rapidly increasing. It has been estimated that 10% of the global population live in coastal areas less than 10m above sea level and 25% will live in flood-prone coastal zone by 2050. Immediate hazards come from the extreme water levels associated with hurricanes and storms which will be further amplified by sea-level rise (SLR) and subsidence caused by both natural and anthropogenic factors, especially for deltaic and estuarine systems. These systems, due to the complex interaction between the fluvial water and sediment input and near-shore processes, can be significantly reshaped by extreme events yet resilient if given suitable conditions for sedimentation and vegetation growth. Moreover, deltaic systems have complex and spatially varying shallow stratigraphy which influence surficial erosion and that lead to complex subsidence patterns, often exacerbated by human activities. Therefore, understanding and predicting the long-term impact on coastal landscapes from acute (hurricanes and storms) and chronic (SLR, subsidence, and waves) is key to a sustainable future of these regions.
An integrated biophysical (hydro, morphodynamics, and vegetation)- surge-wave model will be presented. The model has been applied to the West Bay sediment diversion outfall area in South Louisiana, USA. This restoration project was constructed in 2003 and has been subjected to frequent cold front events, continuous wind-driven wave climate, and numerous major hurricane events. The availability of extensive field observations at this location made it ideal to examine the ability of this integrated model to reliably capture the feedback loops among hydrologic, ecologic, morphologic processes and to forecast and quantify the response of the system to these perturbations.
This integrated biophysical-storm surge-wave modeling suite is an open source and available to global communities facing similar challenges as the Gulf of Mexico, United States.
