CCT-TR-2008-8

Title:
Coastal & Ocean Modeling Infrastructure (COMI): Development of an Integrated Modeling Framework for Simulations of Coastal Processes in Deltaic Environments Using High-Performance Computing

Authors:
Q.J. Chen, C. Eksilsson, M. Tyagi, and G. Allen

Summary:
Many naval operations occur in littoral (shallow water) regions between a moving shoreline and water depths of 10 to 20 meters, including river mouths and estuaries. The success of such operations depends on a deep understanding of the physical environment and the ability to make accurate forecasts in these highly nonlinear and dynamic regions. The Louisiana coast with sandy barrier islands, tidal flats and soft mud bottoms is losing 25 to 30 square miles of coastal wetlands each year. Protection and restoration of the Louisiana coast requires better predictive capabilities of coastal processes in the deltaic sedimentary environment.

The COMI (Coastal & Ocean Modeling Infrastructure) project at Louisiana State University (LSU) is working to develop a new integrated modeling framework able to leverage new high performance computing facilities for simulations of coastal properties in deltaic environments. The long-term goal of COMI is to develop and enhance research and educational capabilities in the area of coastal engineering and science at LSU while simultaneously supporting the Navy’s research goals in the areas of Coastal Geosciences and Physical Oceanography. Specific objectives for COMI are (1) modeling coastal circulation and nearshore surface waves in deltaic sedimentary and hydrodynamic environments in an integrated modeling framework by extending the Boussinesq theory for nearshore hydrodynamics to muddy coasts and non-hydrostatic three-dimensional flow regimes with stratifications, (2) complementing the Office of Naval Research’s (ONR) recent research initiatives on Tidal Flats and Wave-Mud Interactions by integrating the new modeling system with field data collected in those programs, (3) simulating large-scale, long-term coastal processes by integrating the coastal modeling system with new high-performance computing facilities and technologies.

The COMI project is supported by Department of Defense (DoD) and Office of Naval Research (ONR) research grant (Grant N00014-07-1-0955), Louisiana Board of Regents, and the Center for Computation & Technology.

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