TOWARDS AN OPERATIONAL FORECASTING SYSTEM FOR THE RIO DE LA PLATA ESTUARY SURFACE ELEVATION AND CURRENTS

SIMIONATO, C. G.; DRAGANI, W. C.; NUÑEZ, M. N.; ENGEL, M.

Santa Fe - Paraná, Argentina

Congreso; First South-American Congress on Computational Mechanics, III Brazilian Congress on Computational Mechanics and VII Argentine Congress on Computational Mechanics; 2002

The Argentinean Association for Computational Mechanics (AMCA) y Brazilian Association for Computational Mechanics (ABMEC)

A set of three 3-D one-way nested models based on the baroclinic HamSOM (Hamburg Shelf Ocean Model) code for tidal propagation and storm surges from the Argentinean Continental Shelf to the Río de la Plata estuary has been developed. The set of models was constructed as a first step of the development of a warning and management system. In that sense they were built in a very realistic manner, representing an important advance with respect to previous works. In this paper some HamSOM/CIMA model hierarchy validation experiments are shown and discussed. Model results have been validated by using tidal gauge data and current meter observations. The model has shown an outstanding capability to reproduce the tidal propagation from the continental shelf to the Río de la Plata Estuary. A very good agreement between observations and model results is observed for both, harmonic constants and tidal currents. When wind stress and atmospheric pressure is included as meteorological forcing for our model, very good quality simulations are obtained. It indicates that our model already became an appropriate diagnostic tool for studies at the Río de la Plata. Results are very encouraging about the possibilities of the model to become a tool for forecasting and management.