3D Hydrodynamic Model Validation Through Simulations of Dynamic Processes

by Leif H. Slordal, Norwegian Meteorological Inst, Oslo, Norway,
Eivind A. Martinsen, Norwegian Meteorological Inst, Oslo, Norway,
Alan F. Blumberg, Norwegian Meteorological Inst, Oslo, Norway,



Document Type: Proceeding Paper

Part of: Estuarine and Coastal Modeling

Abstract:

Two test cases with idealized geometry and forcing functions were performed to validate a three dimensional hydrodynamic model for use in coastal waters. The tests involve the barotropic and baroclinic responses of a coastal ocean with a uniform alongshore shelf to the passage of a storm and the circulation induced by flow over a topographic feature. The model used in this study is the three dimensional estuarine, coastal and ocean model developed by Blumberg and Mellor which solves for three components of the current field, temperature and salinity. The model has an embedded second order turbulence closure submodel to provide vertical mixing coefficients and uses the free surface as a prognostic variable. At the open boundaries, a flow relaxation scheme (FRS) has been implemented to pass out internally generated disturbances with minimum reflection. The results from the first test case demonstrate that the model successfully reproduces the characteristics of the theoretically expected standing and propagating shelf wave response including the proper spatial structure and temporal variability. In the second test case, a stationary anticyclone was formed over the topographic feature and a cyclone was shed downstream in agreement with theory and previous studies.

Subject Headings: Three-dimensional models | Hydrodynamics | Wave measurement | Topography | Temperature measurement | Oceanography | Hydrologic models

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