![JSC2014](https://multires.eos.ncsu.edu/ccht-ccee-ncsu-edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/04/JSC2014.png)
A Discontinuous Galerkin Coupled Wave Propagation/Circulation Model
![JSC2014](https://multires.eos.ncsu.edu/ccht-ccee-ncsu-edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/04/JSC2014.png)
We examine the performance of the unstructured-mesh, SWAN+ADCIRC wave and circulation model applied to a high-resolution, 5M-vertex, finite-element SL16 mesh of the Gulf of Mexico and Louisiana. This multi-process, multi-scale modeling system has been integrated by utilizing inter-model communication that is intra-core. The modeling system is validated through hindcasts of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita (2005), Gustav and Ike (2008) and comprehensive comparisons to wave and water level measurements throughout the region. The performance is tested on a variety of platforms, via the examination of output file requirements and management, and the establishment of wall-clock times and scalability using up to 9,216 cores. Hindcasts of waves and storm surge can be computed efficiently, by solving for as many as 2.3E12 unknowns per day of simulation, in as little as 10 minutes of wall-clock time.
This work applies the coupled SWAN+ADCIRC model on a high-resolution computational mesh to simulate the current velocity field on the continental shelf, nearshore and marsh areas during the time that oil was visible on the surface of the Gulf. The SWAN+ADCIRC simulations account for the influence of tides, riverine discharge, winds and wind-driven waves. A highly-efficient Lagrangian particle transport model is employed to simulate the surface trajectories of the oil. The transport model accounts for dispersion and advection by wind and currents. Transport is evaluated using two week-long sequences of satellite images. During both periods, the SWAN+ADCIRC current fields alone appeared to be more successful moving the oil than when direct wind forcing was included. In addition, hypothetical oil transport is considered during two hurricane scenarios. Had a hurricane significantly impacted the areas, depending on its track, oil would have moved farther into the marshes of southern Louisiana or farther along the shelf toward Texas than actually occurred during the spill.