Numerical Modeling and Simulation of Wind-Induced Water Elevation By Tropical Cyclones Using Shallow Water Equations

Resumo

Modeling the interaction between storms such as tropical cyclones over the ocean is highly relevant in the fields of ocean, coastal, and offshore engineering, as it enables the forecasting of loads and risks, as well as the mitigation of damages caused by these extreme events in coastal areas. The present study aims to investigate the water elevation caused by the formation of tropical cyclones at sea, using the Finite Element Method to solve the Shallow Water Equations. The wind generated by the cyclone was simulated using an analytical model that accounts for meteorological parameters and their interaction with water bodies, modeled as tangential stresses applied to the free surface. After verifying the shallow water flow solver with a benchmark problem, simulations of wind-induced flows were performed considering two different domains: one with constant bathymetry and another representing a linearly varying coastal region. The effects of model parameters describing the tropical cyclone were investigated and discussed. As a result, it was found that the most significant factors influencing water elevation are the radius at which the cyclone's maximum wind speed occurs and the pressure difference between the storm center and its periphery, leading to considerable water elevation in the most severe cases. In contrast, the translational speed of the cyclone had little impact on water elevation, whereas smaller wind incidence angles produced higher elevations along the coastline. Finally, an additional investigation is presented, considering a more complex domain configuration to illustrate the potential applications of the proposed model.