Author(s): Hagen; Scott C.; Yuji Funakoshi
Linked Author(s): Scott C. Hagen
Keywords: Hydrodynamic; Tide model; Finite element; St. Johns River
Abstract: This paper presents the application of a finite element, two-dimensional, hydrodynamic St. Johns River model for the simulation of water surface elevations for the 122-day period spanning June 1 – September 30, 2005. The hydrodynamic model employed for calculating tides and surges is ADCIRC-2DDI. Three domain variations are included: 1) A model domain that incorporates the entire East Coast of the United States out to the 60°W meridian, Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea, while honing in on the St. Johns River area; 2) A sub-mesh that is shelf-based; and 3) A sub-mesh that is inlet-based. Numerous hydrodynamic simulations are conducted by altering the following forcings in order to determine their relative importance: 1) Astronomical tides; 2) Inflows from tributaries; and 3) Winds and pressures. The following two main conclusions are reported. First, wind forcing for the St. Johns River is equal to or greater than that of astronomic tides and generally supersedes the impact of inflows, while pressure variations have a minimal impact. Second, water levels inside the St. Johns River depend on the wind forcings in the deep ocean; however, if one applies an elevation hydrograph boundary condition from a large-scale domain model to a local-scale domain model the results are highly accurate.
Year: 2007