Storm surge computations in estuarine and near-coastal regions: the Mersey estuary and Irish Sea area |
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| Authors: | John Eric Jones Alan Marshall Davies |
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| Institution: | (1) Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory, 6 Brownlow Street, Liverpool, L3 5DA, UK |
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| Abstract: | An unstructured grid storm surge model of the west coast of Britain, incorporating a high-resolution representation of the
Mersey estuary is used to examine storm surge dynamics in the region. The focus of the study is the major surge that occurred
during the period 11–14 November 1977, which has been investigated previously using uniform grid finite difference models
and a finite element model of the west coast of Britain. However, none of these models included the Mersey estuary. Comparison
of solutions in the eastern Irish Sea with those computed with these earlier models showed that, away from the Liverpool Bay
region, the inclusion of the Mersey estuary had little effect. However, at the entrance to the Mersey, its inclusion did influence
the solution. By including a detailed representation of the Mersey estuary within the model, it was possible to conduct a
detailed study of storm surge propagation in the Mersey, which had never previously been performed. This detailed study showed
for the first time that the surge’s temporal variability within the estuary is influenced by surge elevation at its entrance.
This varies with time as a function of spatial and temporal variations of wind stress over the west coast of Britain. Within
the Mersey, calculations show that the spatial variability is mainly determined by changes in bottom topography, which had
not been included in earlier finite difference models. However, since water depth is influenced by variations in tidal elevation,
this, together with tide surge interaction through bottom friction and momentum advection, influences the surge. The ability
of the finite element model to vary the mesh in near-shore regions to such an extent that it can resolve the Mersey and hence
the impact of the Mersey estuary upon the Liverpool Bay circulation shows that it has distinct advantages over earlier finite
difference models. In the absence of detailed measurements within the Mersey at the time of the surge, it was not possible
to validate predicted surge elevations within the Mersey. However, significant insight into physical processes influencing
the surge propagation down the estuary, its reflection and spatial/temporal variability could be gained. |
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