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    A finite volume numerical approach for coastal ocean circulation studies : comparisons with finite difference models

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    2006JC003485.pdf (4.791Mb)
    Date
    2007-03-28
    Author
    Chen, Changsheng  Concept link
    Huang, Haosheng  Concept link
    Beardsley, Robert C.  Concept link
    Liu, Hedong  Concept link
    Xu, Qichun  Concept link
    Cowles, Geoffrey W.  Concept link
    Metadata
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    Citable URI
    https://hdl.handle.net/1912/3524
    As published
    https://doi.org/10.1029/2006JC003485
    DOI
    10.1029/2006JC003485
    Keyword
     Finite volume model; Numerical methods; Coastal ocean 
    Abstract
    An unstructured grid, finite volume, three-dimensional (3-D) primitive equation coastal ocean model (FVCOM) has been developed for the study of coastal ocean and estuarine circulation by Chen et al. (2003a). The finite volume method used in this model combines the advantage of finite element methods for geometric flexibility and finite difference methods for simple discrete computation. Currents, temperature, and salinity are computed using an integral form of the equations, which provides a better representation of the conservative laws for mass, momentum, and heat. Detailed comparisons are presented here of FVCOM simulations with analytical solutions and numerical simulations made with two popular finite difference models (the Princeton Ocean Model and Estuarine and Coastal Ocean Model (ECOM-si)) for the following idealized cases: wind-induced long-surface gravity waves in a circular lake, tidal resonance in rectangular and sector channels, freshwater discharge onto the continental shelf with curved and straight coastlines, and the thermal bottom boundary layer over the slope with steep bottom topography. With a better fit to the curvature of the coastline using unstructured nonoverlapping triangle grid cells, FVCOM provides improved numerical accuracy and correctly captures the physics of tide-, wind-, and buoyancy-induced waves and flows in the coastal ocean. This model is suitable for applications to estuaries, continental shelves, and regional basins that feature complex coastlines and bathymetry.
    Description
    Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2007. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Journal of Geophysical Research 112 (2007): C03018, doi:10.1029/2006JC003485.
    Collections
    • Physical Oceanography (PO)
    Suggested Citation
    Journal of Geophysical Research 112 (2007): C03018
     

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