Abstract:

Hurricane Irma impacted the coastal ocean and estuaries of West Florida as it transited the Florida peninsula from 10 – 12 September 2017, after making landfall first at Cudjoe Key as a Category 4 hurricane and then again at Naples, as a Category 2 hurricane. West Florida Coastal Ocean Model (WFCOM) simulated velocity data are validated against moored ADCP observations and then used to simulate particle trajectories for the eastern Gulf of Mexico coastal ocean region (the southern West Florida Shelf, Florida Bay, and Charlotte Harbor). WFCOM nowcast data for the time period were obtained from http://ocgtds.marine.usf.edu:8080/thredds/dodsC/FVCOM-Nowcast-Agg.nc.html. Details of the model domain and forcing can be found in the associated paper, Liu et al (2019). The data set includes WFCOM simulated velocity, temperature and salinity, particle trajectories, moored velocity data at three locations on the shelf, and observed water quality data at two stations on Lower Henderson Creek and the Middle Blackwater River. This dataset supports the publication: Liu, Y., Weisberg, R. H., & Zheng, L. (2019). Impacts of Hurricane Irma on the Circulation and Transport in Florida Bay and the Charlotte Harbor Estuary. Estuaries and Coasts. doi:10.1007/s12237-019-00647-6

Suggested Citation:

Liu, Yonggang; Weisberg, Robert H.; Zheng, Lianyuan. 2020. West Florida Coastal Ocean Model (WFCOM) hindcast during Hurricane Irma. Distributed by: Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative Information and Data Cooperative (GRIIDC), Harte Research Institute, Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi. doi:10.7266/H0NZC8D1

Publications:

Liu, Y., Weisberg, R. H., & Zheng, L. (2019). Impacts of Hurricane Irma on the Circulation and Transport in Florida Bay and the Charlotte Harbor Estuary. Estuaries and Coasts. doi:10.1007/s12237-019-00647-6

Purpose:

The data are used to study the impacts of Hurricane Irma on the circulation and transport in Florida Bay and the Charlotte Harbor estuary.

Data Parameters and Units:

The dataset contains seven files. The file WFCOM_st.mat contains the modeled salinity and temperatures fields: lon (nodal x-coordinate, degrees longitude); lat (nodal y-coordinate, degrees latitude); lonc (cell x-coordinate, degrees longitude); latc (cell y-coordinate, degrees latitude); sigmalev (ocean sigma coordinate, unitless); h (bathymetry depth on nodes, meters); h1 (bathymetry depth at cells[m]); ti,(time [datenum Matlab format], s (salinity [PSU]), t (temperature, [degrees Celsius]). The file WFCOM_uv.mat contains the modeled water velocity fields: lon (nodal x-coordinate [degrees longitude]); lat (nodal y-coordinate [degrees latitude]); lonc (cell x-coordinate [degrees longitude]); latc (cell y-coordinate, [degrees latitude]); sigmalev (ocean sigma coordinate [unitless]); h (bathymetry depth on nodes [m]); h1 (bathymetry depth at cells [m]); ti (time [datenum Matlab format]); u (Eastward Water Velocity, [m/s]); v (northward water velocity [m/s]). The file simulated_trajectories_Charl_0910.mat, simulated_trajectories_FL_Bay_0910.mat, and simulated_trajectories_FL_Bay_0911.mat contain surface and bottom water parcel trajectories simulated by FVCOM. Units are time [datenum Matlab format]; xs (surface trajectory x-coordinate [degrees longitude]); ys (surface trajectory y-coordinate [degrees latitude]); xb (bottom trajectory x-coordinate [degrees longitude]); yb (bottom trajectory y-coordinate [degrees latitude]). The file moored_ADCP_vel.mat contains velocity profiles from three stations. Data are found in the structures C10, C12, and C13, having variables u (east-west velocity component [cm/s]); v: (north-south velocity component [cm/s]); bin (bin depth [m]); time [MATLAB datenum]; lat [degree North]; lon: [degree west]; H (nominal water depth at the location [m]). The file water_quality.mat contains hydrographic properties at stations on Lower Henderson Creek (RKBLH) and Middle Blackwater River (RKBMB). Data are organized in a structure for each station containing the variables ti (time stamp [MATLAB datenum]; tp (water temperature [degrees C]; sal (salinity [psu]); DOpcnt (dissolved oxygen saturation [%]); DOmgl (dissolved oxygen [mg/L]); h (water level [m]); ph (pH); turb (water turbulence [FNU/NTU]).

Methods:

Model output and moored ADCP observations.

Individual Files: