​​​​​​​​​​A high-resolution, integrally-coupled ice, tide, wind-wave, and storm surge model for western Alaska

​The western coastline of Alaska is highly susceptible to coastal storms, which can cause coastal erosion, flooding, and have other pernicious effects to the environment and commercial efforts. The reduction in ice coverage due to climate change could potentially increase the frequency and degree of coastal flooding and erosion. Further, estuaries and delta systems act as conduits for storm surges, so when there is less nearshore ice coverage, these systems could introduce storm surge into terrestrial environments unaccustomed to saline intrusion, flooding, or other alien biogeochemical factors.

​Project ID: WA2012_14 ​

Lead Investigator: Robert Grumbine​, NOAA/NCEP

Collaborators: Joannes Westerink, University of Notre Dame; Patrick Kerr, University of Notre Dame; Andre van der Westhuysen, UCA at NOAA/NCEP; Hendrik Tolman, NOAA/NECP; Jesse Feyen, NOAA/NOS; Yuji Funakoshi, UCAR at NOAA/NOS

Project Duration: 2012 - 2015

This project quantifies the effect of reduced nearshore ice coverage on coastal flooding. The project is developing a large domain wave and storm surge model (SWAN/WWIII + ADCIRC) with high resolution along the Western Alaska coast. This approach captures the complex multi-scale and interactive physics of the deep water, shelf, nearshore, coast, estuaries, and rivers, and is more robust operationally. The model is being assessed using historical wind/pressure fields and station observation data. The impacts of receding ice cover will be studied by including historical seasonal ice coverage, and its effects on the atmospheric and hydrodynamic processes.​​

Products

Webinar (May 7, 2014).ppt
File Size:	3376 kb
File Type:	ppt

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Related Resources

Project Homepage (NOAA)

NCEP MMAB Sea Ice homepage