Simulation of Wave−Current Interaction Using a Three−Dimensional Hydrodynamic Model Coupled With a Phase Averaged Wave Model

The Stevens Institute of Technology Estuarine and Coastal Ocean Model (sECOM) has been coupled with a more advanced surface wave model to simulate wave‒current interaction, and results have been validated in estuarine and nearshore waters. sECOM is a three‒dimensional, hydrostatic, free surface, primitive equation model. It solves the Navier‒Stokes equations and the conservation equations for temperature and salinity using a finite‒difference method on an Arakawa C‒grid with a terrain‒following (sigma) vertical coordinate and orthogonal curvilinear horizontal coordinate system. The model is coupled with the surface wave model developed by Mellor et al. (2008), which solves the spectral equation and takes into account depth and current refraction, and deep and shallow water. The wave model parameterizes the energy distribution in frequency space and the wave‒wave interaction process by using a specified spectrum shape. The coupled wave‒hydrodynamic model considers the wave‒current interaction through wave‒induced bottom stress, depth‒dependent radiation stress, and wave effects on wind‒induced surface stress. The model is validated using the data collected at a natural sandy beach at Duck, North Carolina, during the DUCK94 experiment. This test case reveals the capability of the model to simulate the wave‒current interaction in nearshore coastal systems. The model is further validated using the data collected in Jamaica Bay, a semi‒enclosed body of water located in New York City region. This test reveals the applicability of the model to estuarine systems. These validations of the model and comparisons to its prior wave model, the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL) wave model (Donelan 1977), are presented and discussed.

References

G.L. Mellor, M.A. Donelan, and L‒Y. Oey, 2008, A Surface Wave Model for Coupling with Numerical Ocean Circulation Models. J. Atmos. Oceanic Technol., 25, 1785‒1807.Donelan, M. A 1977. A simple numerical model for wave and wind stress application. Report, National Water Research Institute, Burlington, Ontario, Canada, 28 pp.