Seminars: Johnson C. Smith University & Duke Marine Lab

Conference: NC Coastal Conference 2017

Conference: NCBIWA 2016

News: Sea Grant Research Tackles Important Issues

ncsg2016/05/18 – NC Sea Grant Coastwatch Currents
Considering Coastal Questions: Sea Grant Research Tackles Important Issues

Beach erosion during storm events can devastate the natural environment and coastal communities. This research team seeks to improve simulations of coastal flooding in regions where the beach erosion is highly dynamic. Such simulations are used in North Carolina and elsewhere for designing buildings, establishing flood insurance rates, and supporting real-time decisions during storm events.

The research will review effects of hurricanes Isabel and Irene on oceanfront and soundside shorelines for Hatteras Island, as well as how storm-induced flooding pushed inland. New predictions will be strengthened as the data are coupled with a beach-erosion model. The team will share results with local- and state-level partners to show connections not only throughout the island system but also related impacts on mainland communities.

Interactions between Waves, Flooding and Beach Morphology during Storm Events

Our goal is to improve simulations of coastal flooding in regions where the beach morphology is highly dynamic during a storm event. The feedback between waves, surge and morphology must be better linked, specifically through the extension and coupling of state-of-the-art numerical models. Although most morphology models are limited in their geographic extents, we will extend and apply a process-driven model to represent erosion and breaching at larger scales. And, although most wave, surge and morphology models are coupled with one-way communication, we will develop an automated system to map information in both ways. This research will produce modeling technologies that will benefit coastal communities within North Carolina, and we will share these technologies and findings with stakeholders. Simulations of wave propagation and flooding (and specifically the simulations from our models) are used in North Carolina and elsewhere for building design, the establishment of flood insurance rates, and real-time decision support during storm events. These predictions will be strengthened via the proposed tight coupling with a beach morphology model. The resulting modeling system will better represent the nearshore response to storm impacts.

JC Dietrich, MF Overton, RA Luettich Jr. “Interactions between Waves, Flooding and Beach Morphology during Storm Events.National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, North Carolina Sea Grant, 2015/07/02, $98,225 (Dietrich: $88,378).