COAWST: A Coupled-Ocean-Atmosphere-Wave-Sediment Transport Modeling System Active
Coupled Ocean-Atmosphere-Wave-Sediment Transport
COAWST Modeling System
Understanding the processes responsible for coastal change is important for managing both our natural and economic coastal resources. Storms are one of the primary driving forces causing coastal change from a coupling of wave- and wind-driven flows. To better understand storm impacts and their effects on our coastlines, there is an international need to better predict storm paths and intensities. To fill this gap, the USGS has been leading the development of a Coupled Ocean-Atmosphere-Waves-Sediment Transport (COAWST) Modeling System
COAWST is an open-source tool that combines many sophisticated systems that each provide relative earth-system components necessary to investigate the dynamics of coastal storm impacts. Specifically, the COAWST Modeling System includes an ocean component—Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS); atmosphere component—Weather Research and Forecast Model (WRF), hydrology component- WRF_Hydro; wave components—Simulating Waves Nearshore (SWAN), WAVEWATCHIII, and InWave; a sediment component—the USGS Community Sediment Models; and a sea ice model.
We began with a coupled modeling system as described in Warner et al (2008) and have enhanced that system to include concurrent one-way grid refinement in the ocean model, concurrent one-way grid refinement in the wave model, coupling an atmospheric model to include effects of sea surface temperature and waves, exchange of fields on refined grid levels, and interpolation mechanisms to allow the different models to compute on different grids. Full description provided in Warner et al (2010).
The USGS has provided and developed varying aspects of all these individual systems and provided enhanced capabilities to allow these components to feed back to one another. For example, a typical hurricane modeling simulation may include great details for the atmosphere component, but with limited connectivity to the ocean. However, with the COAWST system, these simulations will allow the ocean and waves to dynamically evolve and provide a feedback to the atmosphere simulation. This will modify the storm development and provide a more realistic suite of physical storm processes.
COAWST related resources
COAWST Data and Tools Products
Below are publications associated with this project.
Development of a three-dimensional, regional, coupled wave, current, and sediment-transport model
Physical response of a back-barrier estuary to a post-tropical cyclone
Development of a coupled wave-flow-vegetation interaction model
Formation of fine sediment deposit from a flash flood river in the Mediterranean Sea
Investigation of hurricane Ivan using the coupled ocean-atmosphere-wave-sediment transport (COAWST) model
Implementation of the vortex force formalism in the coupled ocean-atmosphere-wave-sediment transport (COAWST) modeling system for inner shelf and surf zone applications
Ocean-atmosphere dynamics during Hurricane Ida and Nor'Ida: An application of the coupled ocean-atmosphere-wave-sediment transport (COAWST) modeling system
Wave-current interaction in Willapa Bay
COAWST Modeling System v3.4
- Overview
Understanding the processes responsible for coastal change is important for managing both our natural and economic coastal resources. Storms are one of the primary driving forces causing coastal change from a coupling of wave- and wind-driven flows. To better understand storm impacts and their effects on our coastlines, there is an international need to better predict storm paths and intensities. To fill this gap, the USGS has been leading the development of a Coupled Ocean-Atmosphere-Waves-Sediment Transport (COAWST) Modeling System
COAWST is an open-source tool that combines many sophisticated systems that each provide relative earth-system components necessary to investigate the dynamics of coastal storm impacts. Specifically, the COAWST Modeling System includes an ocean component—Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS); atmosphere component—Weather Research and Forecast Model (WRF), hydrology component- WRF_Hydro; wave components—Simulating Waves Nearshore (SWAN), WAVEWATCHIII, and InWave; a sediment component—the USGS Community Sediment Models; and a sea ice model.
We began with a coupled modeling system as described in Warner et al (2008) and have enhanced that system to include concurrent one-way grid refinement in the ocean model, concurrent one-way grid refinement in the wave model, coupling an atmospheric model to include effects of sea surface temperature and waves, exchange of fields on refined grid levels, and interpolation mechanisms to allow the different models to compute on different grids. Full description provided in Warner et al (2010).
The USGS has provided and developed varying aspects of all these individual systems and provided enhanced capabilities to allow these components to feed back to one another. For example, a typical hurricane modeling simulation may include great details for the atmosphere component, but with limited connectivity to the ocean. However, with the COAWST system, these simulations will allow the ocean and waves to dynamically evolve and provide a feedback to the atmosphere simulation. This will modify the storm development and provide a more realistic suite of physical storm processes.
- Science
COAWST related resources
- Data
COAWST Data and Tools Products
- Publications
Below are publications associated with this project.
Development of a three-dimensional, regional, coupled wave, current, and sediment-transport model
We are developing a three-dimensional numerical model that implements algorithms for sediment transport and evolution of bottom morphology in the coastal-circulation model Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS v3.0), and provides a two-way link between ROMS and the wave model Simulating Waves in the Nearshore (SWAN) via the Model-Coupling Toolkit. The coupled model is applicable for fluvial, estuarAuthorsJ.C. Warner, C. R. Sherwood, R. P. Signell, C. K. Harris, H.G. ArangoFilter Total Items: 19Physical response of a back-barrier estuary to a post-tropical cyclone
This paper presents a modeling investigation of the hydrodynamic and sediment transport response of Chincoteague Bay (VA/MD, USA) to Hurricane Sandy using the Coupled Ocean-Atmosphere-Wave-Sediment-Transport (COAWST) modeling system. Several simulation scenarios with different combinations of remote and local forces were conducted to identify the dominant physical processes. While 80% of the waterAuthorsAlexis Beudin, Neil Kamal Ganju, Zafer Defne, Alfredo AretxabaletaDevelopment of a coupled wave-flow-vegetation interaction model
Emergent and submerged vegetation can significantly affect coastal hydrodynamics. However, most deterministic numerical models do not take into account their influence on currents, waves, and turbulence. In this paper, we describe the implementation of a wave-flow-vegetation module into a Coupled-Ocean-Atmosphere-Wave-Sediment Transport (COAWST) modeling system that includes a flow model (ROMS) anAuthorsAlexis Beudin, Tarandeep S. Kalra, Neil K. Ganju, John C. WarnerFormation of fine sediment deposit from a flash flood river in the Mediterranean Sea
We identify the mechanisms controlling fine deposits on the inner-shelf in front of the Besòs River, in the northwestern Mediterranean Sea. This river is characterized by a flash flood regime discharging large amounts of water (more than 20 times the mean water discharge) and sediment in very short periods lasting from hours to few days. Numerical model output was compared with bottom sediment obsAuthorsManel Grifoll, Vicenç Gracia, Alfredo L. Aretxabaleta, Jorge Guillén, Manuel Espino, John C. WarnerInvestigation of hurricane Ivan using the coupled ocean-atmosphere-wave-sediment transport (COAWST) model
The coupled ocean–atmosphere–wave–sediment transport (COAWST) model is used to hindcast Hurricane Ivan (2004), an extremely intense tropical cyclone (TC) translating through the Gulf of Mexico. Sensitivity experiments with increasing complexity in ocean–atmosphere–wave coupled exchange processes are performed to assess the impacts of coupling on the predictions of the atmosphere, ocean, and wave eAuthorsJoseph B. Zambon, Ruoying He, John C. WarnerImplementation of the vortex force formalism in the coupled ocean-atmosphere-wave-sediment transport (COAWST) modeling system for inner shelf and surf zone applications
The coupled ocean-atmosphere-wave-sediment transport modeling system (COAWST) enables simulations that integrate oceanic, atmospheric, wave and morphological processes in the coastal ocean. Within the modeling system, the three-dimensional ocean circulation module (ROMS) is coupled with the wave generation and propagation model (SWAN) to allow full integration of the effect of waves on circulationAuthorsNirnimesh Kumar, George Voulgaris, John C. Warner, Maitane OlabarrietaOcean-atmosphere dynamics during Hurricane Ida and Nor'Ida: An application of the coupled ocean-atmosphere-wave-sediment transport (COAWST) modeling system
The coupled ocean–atmosphere–wave–sediment transport (COAWST) modeling system was used to investigate atmosphere–ocean–wave interactions in November 2009 during Hurricane Ida and its subsequent evolution to Nor’Ida, which was one of the most costly storm systems of the past two decades. One interesting aspect of this event is that it included two unique atmospheric extreme conditions, a hurricaneAuthorsMaitane Olabarrieta, John C. Warner, Brandy N. Armstrong, Joseph B. Zambon, Ruoying HeWave-current interaction in Willapa Bay
This paper describes the importance of wave-current interaction in an inlet-estuary system. The three-dimensional, fully coupled, Coupled Ocean-Atmosphere-Wave-Sediment Transport (COAWST) modeling system was applied in Willapa Bay (Washington State) from 22 to 29 October 1998 that included a large storm event. To represent the interaction between waves and currents, the vortex-force method was useAuthorsMaitane Olabarrieta, John C. Warner, Nirnimesh Kumar - Web Tools
- Software
COAWST Modeling System v3.4
Coupled ocean atmosphere wave sediment transport modeling system