González-López, Juan O.

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Implementation and validation of an unstructured coupled wave-circulation model for hurricane wave and storm surge inundation modeling in Puerto Rico
(2010) González-López, Juan O.; Mercado, Aurelio; College of Arts and Sciences - Sciences; Morell, Julio; Capella, Jorge; Aponte, Nilda; Department of Marine Sciences; Shafiq, Basir
An unstructured wave-circulation coupled model is implemented and validated for Puerto Rico. The model is used to simulate Hurricane Georges and Hurricane Omar to validate the hurricane-forced storm surge water levels and wave fields. Two parametric wind field formulations are used to produce the wind fields and evaluate the effects of each formulation on wave and water level results. To explore the effect of mesh resolution on wave-induced forces and storm surge water levels a comparison is done between the results of the unstructured coupled model and a simulation using the circulation model coupled to a high resolution (30 meters) structured wave model in the area of La Parguera. Results show a good agreement between the observed and the modeled water levels. The steep and complex bathymetry demands that the unstructured mesh is further optimized to properly resolve the wave and circulation processes at the finer near shore scale.