Development of a Flexible Coupling Interface for ADCIRC Model for Coastal Inundation Studies

The pace of emerging issues in our global environment such as sea-level rise, precipitation pattern change, and the increase in frequency of landfalling hurricanes is unprecedented. Multiple international, national and regional studies point to the possibility of increasing frequency and severity of extreme weather events, including coastal flooding (Ezer and Atkinson, 2014). To establish a reasonable coastal flooding prediction system, several model components based on the target geographical region need to be combined. To accurately predict total water level in a tropical hurricane landfalling inundation study, a dynamically coupled system of numerical models including storm surge, surface waves, inland river flooding and hurricane prediction components is necessary. For instance, to set-up an efficient coastal flooding prediction system for the Alaska region, inclusion of a sea-ice model is also essential. In an Earth System Model (ESM), components are connected using the same coupling architecture. Flexible coupling strategy is adopted, in which the model components are able to exchange required variables in a generic and seamless manner.