Presenter: Angelos Papandreou (University of Rhode Island)

Description:
In this study, we perform numerical simulations of storm surge and surface waves under Hurricanes Florence and Michael using the Advanced Circulation model (ADCIRC) coupled to two different wave models, WAVEWATCH III (WW3) and SWAN. In these simulations, wind forcing is produced by the Hurricane Weather Research and Forecasting (HWRF) and COAMPS-TC models. The two coupled model runs are evaluated by comparing the water elevations and wave predictions with observations made at NOAA tide gauge stations and NDBC buoys. To investigate the impact of the radiation stress on the storm surge, the results of the coupled model simulations are compared to standalone ADCIRC runs. The water elevation difference reaches up to 1-2 feet in certain areas and times, revealing that the wave effect on the storm surge is significant and should be included in storm surge numerical simulations. We also investigate the differences in the wave simulations between the WW3 and SWAN and their sensitivities to different unstructured mesh configurations.