Abstract:

The data consists of hydrodynamic and atmospheric model input and output defined on unstructured triangular meshes used by the tightly-coupled SWAN wave and ADCIRC circulation models. The models use the best-track hindcast data for Isaac (2012) from the National Hurricane Center to develop an asymmetric wind field based on the method from Holland (1980). The models are then forced on a relatively-coarse mesh called EC95, which contains coverage of the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea and western North Atlantic Ocean, but which does not contain coverage of the floodplains of southern Louisiana. Full sets of input and output files are included. This dataset was created by the Consortium for Advanced Research on Transport of Hydrocarbon in the Environment (CARTHE). This research was made possible by a grant from BP/The Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative. This study is described in the following reference: JC Dietrich, CN Dawson, JM Proft, MT Howard, G Wells, JG Fleming, RA Luettich Jr, JJ Westerink, Z Cobell, M Vitse, H Lander, BO Blanton, CM Szpilka, JH Atkinson, "Real-Time Forecasting and Visualization of Hurricane Waves and Storm Surge using SWAN+ADCIRC and FigureGen", Computational Challenges in the Geosciences Series: The IMA Volumes in Mathematics and its Applications, Vol. 156, 2013.

Suggested Citation:

Dawson, Clint. 2013. Coupled wave-circulation results from the SWAN+ADCIRC models for a best-track hindcast of hurricane Isaac (August 2012) in the western Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico. Distributed by: Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative Information and Data Cooperative (GRIIDC), Harte Research Institute, Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi. doi:10.7266/N7057CVJ

Purpose:

This hindcast simulation was performed as part of the post-storm analysis of the Texas implementation of the ADCIRC Surge Guidance System (ASGS). Forecast guidance was compared with results from this best-track hindcast as a check on model performance.

Data Parameters and Units:

A full set of input and output files from both SWAN and ADCIRC is included. These files contain computed water levels and currents, significant wave heights and peak wave periods, etc. x (longitude, degrees_east) y (latitude, degrees_north) element (element, nondimensional) adcirc mesh (mesh topology) neta (total number of elevation specified boundary nodes, nondimensional) nvdll (number of nodes in each elevation specified boundary segment, nondimensional) max nvdll ibtypee (elevation boundary type, nondimensional) nbdv (node numbers on each elevation specified boundary segment, nondimensional) nvel (total number of normal flow specified boundary nodes including both the front and back nodes on internal barrier boundaries, nondimensional) nvell (number of nodes in each normal flow specified boundary segment, nondimensional) max nvell ibtype (type of normal flow discharge boundary, nondimensional) nbw (node numbers on normal flow boundary segment, nondimensional) depth (distance below geoid, m) zeta (water surface elevation above geoid, metric) u-vel (water column vertically averaged east/west velocity, metric) v-vel (water column vertically averaged north/south velocity, metric) pressure (air pressure at sea level, meters of water) windx (e/w wind velocity, metric) windy (n/s wind velocity, metric) zeta max (maximum water surface elevation above geoid, metric) radstress max (maximum radiation stress gradient, metric) vel max (maximum water column vertically averaged velocity, metric) wind max (maximum wind velocity, metric) pressure min (minimum air pressure at sea level, meters of water) radstress x (radiation stress gradient x component, metric) radstress y (radiation stress gradient y component, metric) swan DIR (mean wave direction, metric) swan DIR max (maximum mean wave direction, metric) swan HS (significant wave height, metric) swan HS max (maximum significant wave height, metric) swan TMM10 (mean absolute wave period, metric) swan TMM10 max (maximum TMM10 mean wave period, metric) swan TPS (smoothed peak period, metric) swan TPS max (maximum smoothed peak period, metric) nfover (nonfatal error override option) nabout (abreviated output option parameter) nscreen (unit 6 output option parameter) ihot (hot start parameter) ics (coordinate system selection parameter) im (model selection parameter) nolibf (bottom friction term selection parameter) nolifa (finite amplitude term selection parameter) nolica (spatial derivative convective selection parameter) nolicat (time derivative convective term selection parameter) nwp (variable bottom friction and lateral viscosity option parameter) ncor (variable coriolis in space option parameter) ntip (tidal potential option parameter) nws (wind stress and barometric pressure option parameter) nramp (ramp function option) g (acceleration due to gravity - determines units) tau0 (weighting factor in gwce) dt (time step, sec) statim (starting time, days) reftim (reference time, days) rnday (total length of simulation, days) dramp (duration of ramp function, days) time weighting factors for the gwce equation h0, nodedrymin, nodewetmin, velmin slam0,sfea0 - center of cpp projection (not used if ics=1, ntip=0, ncor=0) ffactor,hbreak,ftheta,fgamma esl (lateral eddy viscosity coefficient; ignored if nwp =1) cori (coriolis parameter - ignored if ncor = 1) ntif (total number of tidal potential constituents) Full descriptions of the output formats are included in the online User Manuals for SWAN ( http://swanmodel.sourceforge.net/ ) and ADCIRC ( http://adcirc.org/ ).

Individual Files: