Effect of ocean surface waves on storm surge and coastal flooding

The effects of wave-current interaction on storm surge and coastal flooding are examined by using a three-dimensional (3-D) wave-current coupled modeling system. The 3-D storm surge and inundation modeling component of the coupled system is based on the Princeton Ocean Model (POM), whereas the wave modeling component is based on the third generation wave model, Simulating WAves Nearshore (SWAN). The 3-D wave-current coupled modeling system is applied to simulate storm surge and inundation induced by several historical hurricanes. The results indicate that it is important to introduce wave-current interaction effects into storm surge and inundation prediction modeling systems. Consideration of wave-induced wind stress, bottom shear stress, and 3-D radiation stress in storm surge and inundation modeling can lead to significantly improvement in storm surge and coastal flooding prediction.