Integrated-Process and Integrated-Scale Modeling of Large Coastal and Estuarine Areas

To predict the response of coastal and estuarine ecosystems to anthropogenic and natural changes, it is necessary to conduct integrated-process and integrated-scale modeling of large coastal and estuarine areas. This paper presents an integrated modeling system, CH3D-IMS (http://ch3d.coastal.ufl.edu/), which includes models of circulation, wave, particle trajectory, sediment transport, water quality dynamics, light attenuation, and seagrass dynamics. The CH3D-IMS has been and continues to be validated with data from various estuaries in Florida. A 3-D variable-density groundwater flow model and a fishery model are being coupled to the CH3D-IMS. We present example applications of the CH3D-IMS including: (a) simulation of the Indian River Lagoon and trajectory of Shuttle Columbia debris in North and Central Florida Atlantic Coastal water, (b) simulation of storm surge in Tampa Bay, Sarasota Bay and adjacent Gulf of Mexico, and (c) simulation of circulation in Charlotte Harbor and adjacent Gulf of Mexico water. As the integrated modeling system continues to be applied to ever more complex problems over increasingly larger coastal areas, it requires more computational resources and disciplinary expertises which are often unavailable in any single institution. To facilitate integrated-process and integrated-scale modeling by multiple institutions, the development of an infrastructure—a regional modeling "grid"—is proposed.