Welcome to the CCHT! We develop computational models for wind waves and coastal circulation, and then apply these models to high-resolution simulations of ocean behavior. Our goals are to understand how coastlines are threatened during storms, how materials are transported in the coastal environment, and how to convey these hazard risks for use in decision support. Our research spans the disciplines of coastal engineering, numerical methods, computational mathematics, and high-performance computing.

In this web site, we share our research progress, from development to application, and from coding to publishing. Learn more about What We Do and how to Join Our Team.

News: Enhancing Storm Surge Visualization

2017/08/08 – NC Sea Grant Coastwatch Currents
Fast, Accurate Forecasts of Coastal Flooding: Enhancing Visualization of Storm Surge Guidance to Support Emergency Managers

Storm surge models must be both fast and accurate to give coastal communities the guidance they need to prepare for and respond to a storm. Perhaps just as important is the need for these forecasts to be visualized in a way that is meaningful and useable by emergency managers.

ADCIRC forecasts are currently visualized using Kalpana, a Python script that converts the model output into formats compatible with commonly-used visualization applications such as ArcGIS and Google Earth. With support from the National Consortium of Data Science (NCDS) and in partnership with North Carolina Emergency Management (NCEM), our team has developed a new visualization method that makes use of enhanced topographic resolution along the flooding boundary. This results in modeled storm surge extending farther into estuaries and floodplains, increasing the accuracy of the forecast.

Poster: Spring 2017 Conferences

A Gharagozlou, JC Dietrich, M Overton, A Karanci. “Morphological Modeling of Hatteras Island During Hurricane Isabel.” 8th Annual NCEM/ECU Hurricane Conference, Greenville, North Carolina, 24 May 2017.

A Gharagozlou, JC Dietrich, M Overton, A Karanci. “Morphological Modeling of Hatteras Island During Hurricane Isabel.” North Carolina’s Coastal Conference, Raleigh, North Carolina, 4-5 April 2017.

A Gharagozlou, JC Dietrich, M Overton, A Karanci. “Morphological Modeling of Hatteras Island During Hurricane Isabel.” Environmental, Water Resources and Coastal Engineering Research Symposium, North Carolina State University, 3 March 2017.

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