The ADvanced CIRCulation (ADCIRC) model is a finite-element hydrodynamic model based on the generalized wave continuity equation (GWCE). The model assumed fixed land boundaries until a wetting and drying algorithm was implemented by Luettich and Westerink in 1995. The algorithm uses an element-based approach, effectively turning elements on and off based on water depths and a water level gradient. While robust in some simulations, the algorithm can be subject to instabilities in the solution during highly nonlinear events. Thus, a rigorous assessment of the algorithm’s stability, accuracy, mass balance properties, and parameter sensitivity under a variety of conditions is needed. Herein, we examine these issues using a one-dimensional implementation of the wetting and drying algorithm for basins with a linear slope; future studies will examine a wider variety of real and idealized basins. We believe the results of this work will benefit similar studies in two- or three-dimensions, for users and developers of both ADCIRC and other finite element models.
JC Dietrich, RL Kolar, RA Luettich Jr (2004). “Assessment of ADCIRC’s wetting and drying algorithm.” Proceedings of the XV International Conference on Computational Methods in Water Resources (CMWR), CT Miller, MW Farthing, WG Gray, and GF Pinder, eds., 2, 1767-1778.
