Numerical Simulation of Louisiana Shelf Circulation under Hurricane Katrina

Abstract

ABSTRACT Allahdadi, M.N. and Li, C., 2018. Numerical simulation of Louisiana shelf circulation under Hurricane Katrina. The response of currents on the Louisiana shelf to Hurricane Katrina was studied using the 3-D Finite Volume Community Ocean Model (FVCOM). The study area encompassed the Louisiana shelf covering both sides of the Mississippi River's Birdsfoot Delta. The model was forced by a wind field prepared by combining the Hurricane Research Division Wind Analysis System data for the hurricane with background winds outside of the hurricane's influence from National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP)/North American Regional Reanalysis (NARR). Current and water-level data recorded at Wave-Current-Surge Information System (WAVCIS) stations over the inner shelf provided a unique opportunity to examine shelf hydrodynamics in response to Katrina. Model performance was evaluated by examining water-column stratification under different scenarios and using a range of parameters of the Mellor-Yamada...