Community Sediment Transport Model

The goal of this project is to produce an open-source model that couples hydrodynamics (circulation and waves), sediment transport, and morphodynamics. The need and value for such a model has been well established by previous NOPP-supported planning efforts (Sherwood et al., 2000; 2002) and the feasibility of the proposed approach has been demonstrated by incorporation of sediment-transport and morphology algorithms into the ONR-supported Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS). The model is intended to be used as both a research tool and for practical applications. An accurate and useful model will require coupling sediment-transport with hydrodynamic forcing and stratigraphy. The development of a coupled, modular, modeling system that includes all of these components (waves, circulation, sediment-transport, morphology, and stratigraphy) will increase our ability to predict the fate and distribution of sediment in coastal environments and provide a tool for advancing our understanding of these processes.