Abstract:

The Finite Volume Coastal Ocean Model (FVCOM) was applied over the northern Gulf of Mexico continental shelf that includes Barataria Basin to simulate three-dimensional circulation patterns driven by river and river diversion, tides, and winds. The numerical model mesh covers a much larger computational domain which extends longitudinally from Mobile Bay, Alabama, to the west of Galveston Bay, Texas, and offshore to ~ 300 – 1000 m isobaths over the Alabama-Mississippi-Louisiana-Texas continental shelf and slope. Simulated hydrodynamic variables include sea-level elevation, u- and v-velocity components, salinity, and turbulence parameters. The FVCOM simulation period is from 2008-07-01 to 2008-09-30. Output data is in NetCDF (Network Common Data Form) format. This dataset supports the publication: Cui, L., Huang, H., Li, C., & Justic, D. (2018). Lateral Circulation in a Partially Stratified Tidal Inlet. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering, 6(4), 159. doi:10.3390/jmse6040159

Suggested Citation:

Huang, Haosheng. 2021. FVCOM-simulated currents and salinity in Barataria Bay and the adjacent Louisiana-Texas continental shelf from 2008-07-01 to 2008-09-30. Distributed by: Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative Information and Data Cooperative (GRIIDC), Harte Research Institute, Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi. doi:10.7266/n7-1qe9-mg27

Publications:

Cui, L., Huang, H., Li, C., & Justic, D. (2018). Lateral Circulation in a Partially Stratified Tidal Inlet. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering, 6(4), 159. doi:10.3390/jmse6040159

Purpose:

Ocean current data are important to predict the distribution and movement of spilled oil, as well as ecologically and biologically important variables such as nutrients and phytoplankton in the coastal environment. In addition, we want to investigate the impact of river diversion (i.e., the Davis Pond Diversion in the Barataria Basin) on estuarine salinity gradient and estuarine residence time. FVCOM was applied over the northern Gulf of Mexico continental shelf that includes the Barataria Basin to simulate three-dimensional circulation patterns driven by river and river diversion, tides, and winds.

Data Parameters and Units:

Primary variables include Initial_Density; x (nodal x-coordinate, UTM15,[m]); y (nodal y-coordinate, UTM15, [m]); lon (longitude, [degrees E]); lat (latitude, [degrees N]); siglay (sigma layers, [-1 - 0] ; siglay_shift (shifted sigma layers); siglev (sgma levels, [-1 - 0]); h (bathymetry, [m]); time (seconds after 00:00:00, [s]); time (seconds after 00:00:00, [s]); iint (internal mode iteration number); zeta (Water Surface Elevation, [m]); u (Eastward Water Velocity, [m/s]); v (Northward Water Velocity, [m/s]); ua (Vertically Averaged x-velocity, [m/s]); va (vertically averaged y-velocity, [m/s]); salinity [1e-3"]; ww (upward water velocity, [m/s]); kh (turbulent eddy dDiffusivity, [m^2/s]); km (turbulent eddy viscosity, [m^2/s]). a1u; a2u; aw0; awx; awy; nprocs; partition are all switches relating to the model and how it is run.

Methods:

Variables are reported on an hourly interval. Latitude and longitude and their correspondence to the native UTM-15N model coordinates are given in separate files; note reported latitude and longitude in the NetCDF files are UTM coordinates as well.

Individual Files: