skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: A modeling study of coastal inundation induced by storm surge, sea-level rise, and subsidence in the Gulf of Mexico

Abstract

The northern coasts of the Gulf of Mexico are highly vulnerable to the direct threats of climate change, such as hurricane-induced storm surge, and such risks can be potentially exacerbated by land subsidence and global sea level rise. This paper presents an application of a coastal storm surge model to study the coastal inundation process induced by tide and storm surge, and its response to the effects of land subsidence and sea level rise in the northern Gulf coast. An unstructured-grid Finite Volume Coastal Ocean Model was used to simulate tides and hurricane-induced storm surges in the Gulf of Mexico. Simulated distributions of co-amplitude and co-phase of semi-diurnal and diurnal tides are in good agreement with previous modeling studies. The storm surges induced by four historical hurricanes (Rita, Katrina, Ivan and Dolly) were simulated and compared to observed water levels at National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration tide stations. Effects of coastal subsidence and future global sea level rise on coastal inundation in the Louisiana coast were evaluated using a parameter “change of inundation depth” through sensitivity simulations that were based on a projected future subsidence scenario and 1-m global sea level rise by the end of the century. Model resultsmore » suggested that hurricane-induced storm surge height and coastal inundation could be exacerbated by future global sea level rise and subsidence, and that responses of storm surge and coastal inundation to the effects of sea level rise and subsidence are highly nonlinear and vary on temporal and spatial scales.« less

Authors:
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE
OSTI Identifier:
1122317
Report Number(s):
PNNL-SA-94696
KP1703030
DOE Contract Number:  
AC05-76RL01830
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Natural Hazards, 71(3):1771-1794
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Name: Natural Hazards, 71(3):1771-1794
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

Citation Formats

Yang, Zhaoqing, Wang, Taiping, Leung, Lai-Yung R., Hibbard, Kathleen A., Janetos, Anthony C., Kraucunas, Ian P., Rice, Jennie S., Preston, Benjamin, and Wilbanks, Thomas. A modeling study of coastal inundation induced by storm surge, sea-level rise, and subsidence in the Gulf of Mexico. United States: N. p., 2013. Web. doi:10.1007/s11069-013-0974-6.
Yang, Zhaoqing, Wang, Taiping, Leung, Lai-Yung R., Hibbard, Kathleen A., Janetos, Anthony C., Kraucunas, Ian P., Rice, Jennie S., Preston, Benjamin, & Wilbanks, Thomas. A modeling study of coastal inundation induced by storm surge, sea-level rise, and subsidence in the Gulf of Mexico. United States. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-013-0974-6
Yang, Zhaoqing, Wang, Taiping, Leung, Lai-Yung R., Hibbard, Kathleen A., Janetos, Anthony C., Kraucunas, Ian P., Rice, Jennie S., Preston, Benjamin, and Wilbanks, Thomas. 2013. "A modeling study of coastal inundation induced by storm surge, sea-level rise, and subsidence in the Gulf of Mexico". United States. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-013-0974-6.
@article{osti_1122317,
title = {A modeling study of coastal inundation induced by storm surge, sea-level rise, and subsidence in the Gulf of Mexico},
author = {Yang, Zhaoqing and Wang, Taiping and Leung, Lai-Yung R. and Hibbard, Kathleen A. and Janetos, Anthony C. and Kraucunas, Ian P. and Rice, Jennie S. and Preston, Benjamin and Wilbanks, Thomas},
abstractNote = {The northern coasts of the Gulf of Mexico are highly vulnerable to the direct threats of climate change, such as hurricane-induced storm surge, and such risks can be potentially exacerbated by land subsidence and global sea level rise. This paper presents an application of a coastal storm surge model to study the coastal inundation process induced by tide and storm surge, and its response to the effects of land subsidence and sea level rise in the northern Gulf coast. An unstructured-grid Finite Volume Coastal Ocean Model was used to simulate tides and hurricane-induced storm surges in the Gulf of Mexico. Simulated distributions of co-amplitude and co-phase of semi-diurnal and diurnal tides are in good agreement with previous modeling studies. The storm surges induced by four historical hurricanes (Rita, Katrina, Ivan and Dolly) were simulated and compared to observed water levels at National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration tide stations. Effects of coastal subsidence and future global sea level rise on coastal inundation in the Louisiana coast were evaluated using a parameter “change of inundation depth” through sensitivity simulations that were based on a projected future subsidence scenario and 1-m global sea level rise by the end of the century. Model results suggested that hurricane-induced storm surge height and coastal inundation could be exacerbated by future global sea level rise and subsidence, and that responses of storm surge and coastal inundation to the effects of sea level rise and subsidence are highly nonlinear and vary on temporal and spatial scales.},
doi = {10.1007/s11069-013-0974-6},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1122317}, journal = {Natural Hazards, 71(3):1771-1794},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Dec 10 00:00:00 EST 2013},
month = {Tue Dec 10 00:00:00 EST 2013}
}