Channel Deepening Impact on Hurricane-Induced Flow Velocity Hazards in a Coastal Strait

Hydrodynamics in a coastal strait is characterized by energetic currents, especially during extreme weather events such as hurricanes. Alterations to the geometry or bathymetry of such systems could change the hydrodynamics. Kill Van Kull channel, a coastal strait that connects Upper New York Bay and Newark Bay in New Jersey, is among the most important channels for the commerce in the region. Its shipping channel has been deepened to 16 m to allow the passage of the world’s largest container ships. To improve the safety of larger ships entering the Newark Bay through Kill Van Kull channel, we particularly study water velocity hazards under extreme weather events. A local-scale three-dimensional hydrodynamic model, based on Regional Ocean Model System (ROMS), is established for the study area. The computational mesh has a horizontal resolution of 20 m and consists of 15 sigma layers in the vertical direction. Boundary conditions at the open boundaries of the model are obtained from an existing regional-scale, three-dimensional coastal ocean model. We first evaluate the accuracy of the newly established model using existing water level and current measurements. We then apply the model to simulate hydrodynamic conditions induced by a series of historical hurricanes. Specifically, the effects of channel deepening on water velocity hazards to ships under extreme events are evaluated.