Project Summary

The NOPP-Hurricane Coastal Impacts (NHCI) program is composed of five tasks and ten teams, with each team focusing on a specific task based on the team's expertise and the resources they have available. The five tasks are detailed below and information about each team is located in the Teams page.

Task 0
Provide deterministic, ensemble, and nowcast model support for use by collaborative teams.

Task 1
Develop quantitative Digital Elevation Models (DEM) from satellite remote sensing techniques for use before, during and after storms.

Task 2
Conduct remote sensing of coastline impacts from landfalling hurricanes.

Task 3
Develop methods to rapidly deploy wave and water level sensors for validation and assimilation data.

Task 4
Set up models for the entire US Gulf Coast, Florida Coast and Eastern Seaboard with sufficient nesting capabilities for skillful forecasting, as informed by prior tasks.

The five NHCI tasks in detail

Task 0

Provide deterministic, ensemble, and nowcasts model support for use by collaborative teams.

1
2
3

Year 1

Provide  a hindcast of Hurricane Michael from COAMPS-TC1

Years 2-4

Summer/Fall - Provide hurricane track and intensity predictions for 3 landfalling hurricanes
Winter – Reanalyze the three hurricanes following best-track and intensity.

Outcome

Apples-to-apples forcing for Task 4 analysis

Task 1

Develop quantitative Digital Elevation Models (DEM) from satellite remote sensing techniques for use before, during and after storms.

2
3

Year 1

Initial building of a Digital Elevation Model (DEM)

Years 2-4

Regular updates to DEM and quantitative post-hurricane impact summaries

Outcome

Boundary conditions and ground truth for Task 4 analysis

1

Task 2

Conduct remote sensing of coastline impacts from landfalling hurricanes.

1
2
3

Year 1

Develop quantitative capabilities in satellite remote sensing for building a ground-truth DEM

Years 2-4

Obtain quantitative geophysical measurements during the three storms

Outcome

Observation data for hindcast comparison and possible assimilation into model forecasts

Task 3

Develop methods to rapidly deploy wave and water level sensors for validation and assimilation data.

1
2
3

Year 1

Develop methods for rapid deployments of offshore and nearshore wave, wind, and water level observations

Years 2-4

Collect in situ measurements including offshore waves, as well as offshore and inland water levels

Outcome

Observation data for Task 4 assimilation prior to landfall and ground truth evaluations afterward

Task 4

Set up models for the entire US Gulf Coast, Florida Coast and Eastern Seaboard with sufficient nesting capabilities for skillful forecasting, as informed by prior tasks.

1
2
3

Year 1

Model development and Hurricane Michael hindcast study

Years 2-4

Forecasting of wave, surge, sediment transport (erosion and accretion above and below mean sea level), structure interaction and damage enabled by boundary conditions and observational data from Tasks 0-3

Outcome

Improved forecasting skill of hurricane coastal impacts.