Integrated modeling to support marine energy resource characterization and coastal resilience

Dr. Zhaoqing Yang
Chief Scientist
Coastal Sciences Division
Northwest National Laboratory    

Location Information
**This seminar will be held both in person (Watanabe Hall 112) and over Zoom**
Meeting ID: 961 6222 2366
Passcode: OREseminar
https://hawaii.zoom.us/j/96162222366

This seminar will cover two major research areas carrying out in the Ocean Dynamics Modeling Group in PNNL 1) Marine energy resource characterization and 2) Coastal storm surge and resilience. Marine renewable energy can play an important role in mitigating climate change and enhancing national energy security. PNNL is leading the modeling effort in marine energy resource characterization including wave, tidal stream, and ocean currents, for the U.S. Department of Energy, Water Power Technologies Office. This presentation will provide an overview of the development of high-resolution hindcast datasets for regional wave climate in US Excluded Economic Zones, tidal currents in tidal energy hotspots in the nation, and the on-going effort of the development of the Gulf Stream Model. Model configurations, validations, and model outputs will be presented. Extreme fluvial and coastal flooding in low-lying coastal region is among the most catastrophic hazards to coastal communities. Flooding risk can be exacerbated by the non-linear interaction of high tide, extreme stream flow, storm surge, as well sea level rise because of global warming. Resolving these essential processes requires high-fidelity models that can accurately simulate the riverine hydrology and coastal hydrodynamics in a changing climate. The second part of this presentation will give an overview of modeling projects related to coastal flooding in different coastal environments, from Pacific Northwest to Gulf of Mexico and the Mid-Atlantic Coast.