| The General Curvilinear Coastal Ocean Model (GCCOM) is unique in its ability to compute estimates of ocean circulation at high resolutions utilizing three-dimensional curvilinear grids. GCCOM has proved successful in simulated settings and is ready for real-world application. This project details such an application in simulating the shallow water hydrodynamics of San Diego Bay, CA. San Diego Bay serves as a conduit for naval operations, commercial shipping, recreational boating, etc. and lends itself well for application of the models three-dimensional curvilinear approach. Specifically, estimates of tidal flow, temperature, salinity, and current velocity at high temporal and spatial scales within the bay are computed. The model is initialized with output from the widely used larger scale Regional Ocean Model System (ROMS). The documentation detailing the methods to create a 3D curvilinear grid ready for use in the GCCOM model is currently non-existent. As such, the goal of this project is to create a roadmap for future GCCOM users to follow in grid creation and establishing the necessary initial conditions to run the model. This is accomplished through the creation of a digital repository complete with requisite code and several grid creation tutorials. |
