SURA Coastal & Environmental Research Program

SURA's Regional Testbed Project with NOAA

Benefits of the SURA Super-regional Testbed

Better forecasts of inundation - The results from the total water level and inundation component will provide much clearer understanding of modeling system performance as applied to waves, tides, surge and inundation in two very difference forcing environments - extratropical and tropical storms. The testbed will focus of two regions that are highly impactedd by storm induced flooding: the Gulf of Maine and the Gulf of Mexico. This information will be of direct use to agencies to further their use of models to fulfil agency missions. The scope of the testbed and evaluation of the results will be influenced by NOAA's Storm Surge Roadmap, the National Hurricane Center, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and FEMA.

Improved management of Chesapeake Bay resources and water quality - The estuarine hypoxia aspect will directly benefit managers of fisheries and natural resources. The results of this testbed will include an improved understanding of the uncertainty inherent in model predictions. The collective results of multiple model applications will provide better estimates of hydrodynamics and oxygen content. The results will better enable resource managers to understand predicted conditions and make appropriate management decisions.        

Better forecasts of dissolved oxygen in the Northern Gulf of Mexico - The shelf hypoxia team will make operational a 3 km resolution Gulf of Mexico / Caribbean nowcast/forecast circulation model with documented skill and uncertainty. This system will provide output for emergency response applications in the Gulf as well as boundary conditions for higher resolution physical and biochemical predictions.

A national cyberinfrastructure for future model assessments - cyberinfrastructure will be provided in the testbed where modelers can seamlessly access observed input data and provide output in the form of model results using consistent standards to allow for skill assessment and product delivery for coastal operations.

For More ...

• What is a Testbed?    
  
• Participating Organizations of the Testbed

SURA Coastal & Environmental Research Program Contacts

Dr. L. Don Wright, Director of Coastal Research
Elizabeth Smith, Coastal Research Programs Manager