Fully Coupled Atmosphere-Wave-Ocean Models for Coastal and Storm Predictions

The goals of this study are to 1) better understand the physical processes controlling air-sea interaction and their impact on coastal and storm predictions, and 2) develop a physically based and computationally efficient coupling at the air-sea interface that is flexible for use in a multi-model system and portable for transition to the next generation research and operational coupled atmosphere-wave-ocean-land models. We have developed an unfied air-sea interface module that couples multiple atmosphere, wave, and ocean models using the Earth System Modeling Framework (ESMF). This standardized coupling framework allows researchers to develop and test air-sea coupling parameterizations and to better facilitate research-to-operation activities. It also allows for future ensemble forecasts using coupled models that can be used for coupled data assimilation and assessment of coupled uncertainties. The current component models include two atmospheric models (COAMPS and WRF), two ocean models (NCOM and HYCOM), and two wave models (SWAN and UMWM). The coupled modeling systems have been tested and evaluated using the coupled air-sea observations collected in recent field campaigns in the Northern Seas, the Gulf of Mexico, and tropical cyclones in the Atlantic and Pacific basins. This talk will provide an overview of the unified air-sea interface model and fully coupled model predictions over various coastal regions and tropical cyclones in the Pacific and Atlantic basins.