1. An Instrumented Coastal Process Modeling Test Bed US Army Corps of Engineers BUILDING STRONG ® Jeff Hanson U. S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center Coastal and Hydraulics Lab (CHL) Field Research Facility

2. BUILDING STRONG ® Outline  Test Bed Concept - IOOS  FRF Observations - NOPP  Model Validation Tools – USACE  Coastal Wave Modeling – NWS  Storm Surge Studies - FEMA  Collaboration Opportunities

3. Coastal Process Modeling Test Bed Analysis Performance Evaluation Model Diagnostics Interactive Model Evaluation and Diagnostics System (IMEDS) IOOS Data Bank Regional Observations Storm Surge Modeling System WavesCirculation Atmosphere Morphology Research

4. Nearshore Acoustic Array (1.5-11 m depth) 17-m Datawell Waverider 26-m Datawell Waverider 26-m Weather Station 48-m NDBC 44014 Data Collections FRF Cross-Shelf Wave and Current Array Pier Near continuous operation since July 2008 1m 1 Paros Pressure gage 2 Nortek Aquadopp sensors 4 Nortek AWAC sensors 2 Datawell Waverider buoys NDBC Station 44014 Pier-based meteorological station ARGUS Video system 24/7 Real-time data processing Monthly bathy surveys

5. Hurricane Earl: 3 September 2010

6. Waves Project Status 2009-2010 Hs (m) Nor’Ida Bill Earl Igor 2010 Accomplishment: Constructed database with search utilities 2011 Activities: Event Climatology and NCEP Data Archive Event Descriptors: Wave ht and period Event duration Sea, swell or mixed Wind conditions Database Contents: Time series Spectra Met Currents Water levels Argus imagery

7. Interactive Model Evaluation and Diagnostics System  Stand-alone desktop model validation toolkit  Based on NOAA Hydrographic Standards  Temporal, distribution, and peak event analyses  Robust error metrics and skill scores  Evaluate winds, waves, and water levels Recent IMEDS Applications  Coastal wave forecast system (NWS)  Storm surge forecast system (IOOS)  WaveWatch III validation (NCEP)  Storm surge risk assessment (FEMA)  Inundation model testbed (SURA NOPP)  Wave hindcast validation (USACE)  Offshore energy production (BOEMRE, NC State)

8. Operational AutoMEDS Demonstration IOOS Storm Surge Application http://www.meds.renci.org/ Skill Scores Update with each Model Run

9. Operational AutoMEDS Demonstration Validation Station Page http://www.meds.renci.org/ Peak Water Levels All Stations NOS Water Level Station

10. Project Objectives COMET Project: Coastal Wave Modeling for NWS Develop coastal wave model application for Wakefield, Morehead City and Wilmington WFOs Access SWAN performance and optimize model configurations Transition technology to NWS for operational use

11. Model Configuration COMET Project: Coastal Wave Modeling for NWS 4 Operational grids 14-km Outer grid 2.5-km Inner grids Run 4x/day or on demand Project Status Fully operational at WFOs Final project report submitted

12. USACE/NOAA Collaboration: USACE Wave Partitioning for NWS  Operational wave partitioning for WAVEWATCH III (~2007)  Offline SWAN partitioning in regional NWS offices (2008)  Delivered prototype partitioning code for SWAN (2011)  Request to develop prototype spatial/temporal wave system tracking for WAVEWATCH III/SWAN (2011)

13. BUILDING STRONG ® Coastal Storm Surge Hazard Assessments  Extensive coastal storm surge modeling program  Development of state-of-the-art tools  Extensive national work for FEMA Flood Insurance Rate studies: o Gulf States o East Coast o Great Lakes  Research and development topics include o Atmospheric drag during high winds o Nonlinear and shallow water wave transformations o Marsh effects o Coastal morphology and erosion

14. Region III Modeling System Validation Isabel

15. BUILDING STRONG ® NWS / USACE Collaboration Ideas  Advancement of model validation tools – collaborate on a state-of-the-art desktop tool that integrates NOAA Skill Assessment Package into IMEDS with a modern GUI  Shared model test and evaluation testbed – a collaborative environment for model test and evaluation with shared data archive and common validation tools  Development and implementation of wave system tracking in numerical wave models

16. BUILDING STRONG ® Thank You Working across agencies to bring observations and models together in a natural coastal laboratory… USACE Field Research Facility