Application of the SCHISM Unstructured Grid Model to Simulate Water Levels and Waves in the Coastal Area of Thanh Hoa - Nghe An During Typhoon Doksuri (2017)
Main Article Content
Abstract
This paper presents the initial results of applying the multi-scale unstructured grid model system SCHISM-WWM to simulate water levels and waves for the Thanh Hoa - Nghe An coastal area during the typhoon Doksuri (September 2017). The SCHISM model was chosen for its ability to seamlessly simulate physical processes across multiple spatial scales and the superior computational efficiency of its unstructured grid, making it a potential alternative to traditional structured grid systems like ROMS-SWAN. The comparison of computed results with observational data show that the model can effectively simulate the total water level, with a Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) index of 0.94 at Hon Dau and 0.88 at Hon Ngu, and corresponding root mean square errors (RMSE) of 0.17 m and 0.21 m. For waves, the maximum simulated significant wave height (7.15 m) is quite close to the observation from the SIO drifting buoy (7.8 m), with an NSE index of 0.96. These results confirm the potential of SCHISM for detailed forecasting of storm surge and waves, and provide a basis for further research to develop a highly reliable operational forecasting system.
Keywords:
lex topography such as estuaries, lagoons, and coastal bays.
References
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(in Vietnamese).
[2] L. Q. Huy, P. V. Tien, N. H. Hanh, N. T. Lan,
D. L. Chi, Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Wave Forecasting in 2023 in the East Sea Area. International Scientific Conference: Science and Technology - The Key To Disaster Risk Reduction, Climate Change Response, Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development, Institute of Meteorology, Hydrology and Climate Change, 2024, pp. 149-163 (in Vietnamese).
[3] S. Danilov, T. Ringler, Q. Wang, Large-scale Ocean Modeling on Unstructured Meshes, https://epic.awi.de/id/eprint/35926/1/clivar_unstructured.pdf (accessed on: September 12nd, 2025).
[4] J. Z. Yinglong, Y. Fei, E. V. Stanev, S. Grashorn, Seamless Cross-scale Modeling with SCHISM, Ocean Modelling, Vol. 102, 2016, pp. 64-81.
[5] On-demand Automated Storm Surge Modeling Including Inland Hydrology Effects, https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/47926 (accessed on: August 12th, 2025).
[6] Z. Liu, H.Wang, Y. J. Zhang, L. Magnusson, J. D. Loftis, D. Forrest, Cross-scale Modeling of Storm Surge, Tide, and Inundation in Mid-atlantic Bight and New York City During Hurricane Sandy, 2012, Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, Vol. 233,
No. 5, 2020, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2019.106544.
[7] Y. J. Zhang, F. Ye, H. Yu et al., Simulating Compound Flooding Events in a Hurricane, Ocean Dynamics, Vol. 70, 2020, pp. 621-640, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10236-020-01351-x.
[8] X. Bertin, B. Mengual, A. De Bakker, T. Guérin, K. Martins, M. Pezerat, L. Lavaud, Recent Advances In Tidal Inlet Morphodynamics Modelling, Journal of Coastal Research, Vol. 95, 2020, pp. 1016-1020, https://doi.org/10.2112/SI95-198.1.
[9] Y. Yang, W. Guan, E. Deleersnijder, Z. He, Hydrodynamic and Sediment Transport Modelling in the Pearl River Estuary And Adjacent Chinese Coastal Zone During Typhoon Mangkhut, Continental Shelf Research, Vol. 233, 2022, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.csr.2022.104645.
[10] X. Cai, Y. J. Zhang, J. Shen, H. Wang, Z. Wang, Q. Qin, F. Ye, A Numerical Study of Hypoxia in Chesapeake Bay Using an Unstructured Grid Model: Validation And Sensitivity to Bathymetry Representation, JAWRA Journal of the American Water Resources Association, Vol. 58, No. 6, 2022, pp. 898-921, https://doi.org/10.1111/1752-1688.12887.
[11] Y. Zhang, A. M. Baptista, SELFE: A Semi-Implicit Eulerian-Lagrangian Finite-Element Model for Cross-Scale Ocean Circulation, Ocean Modelling, Vol. 21, No. 3-4, 2008, pp. 71-96, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocemod.2007.11.005.
[12] Y. Zhang, E. Ateljevich, H. S. Yu, C. H. Wu, J. Yu, A New Vertical Coordinate System for A 3D Unstructured-Grid Model, Ocean Modelling,
Vol. 85, 2015, pp. 16-31, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocemod.2014.10.003.
[13] F. Ye, W. Huang, Y. J. Zhang, S. Moghimi, E. Myers, S. Pe'eri, H. C. Yu, A Cross-Scale Study for Compound Flooding Processes During Hurricane Florence, Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences, Vol. 21, 2021, pp. 1703-1719, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-21-1703-2021.
[14] A. Roland, Development of WWM II: Spectral Wave Modelling On Unstructured Meshes, Ph. D. Thesis, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Institute of Hydraulic and Water Resources Engineering, 2009.
[15] A. Roland, Y. J. Zhang, H. V. Wang, Y. Meng, Y. C. Teng, V. Maderich, I. Brovchenko, M. D. Sikiric, U. Zanke, A Fully Coupled 3D Wave-Current Interaction Model on Unstructured Grids, Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans,
Vol. 117, No. C11, 2012, https://doi.org/10.1029/2012JC007952
[16] F. H. Lyard, D. J. Allain, M. Cancet, L. Carrère, N. Picot, FES2014 Global Ocean Tide Atlas: Design and Performance, Ocean Sci, Vol. 17, 2021,
pp. 615-649,
https://doi.org/10.5194/os-17-615-2021.
[17] L. H. Dung, Zoning of Natural Disaster Risks and Mapping of Flood and Inundation Warnings, Project Summary Report at the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment Level, Institute of Meteorology, Hydrology and Climate Change, 2023 (in Vietnamese).
[18] P. V. Tien, N. B. Thuy, N. K. Cuong, Simulation of Surge and Wave in Doksuri Storm 2017 Using Couple Model, Proceedings of the East Sea International Conference 9/2022, Nha Trang Institute of Oceanography, pp. 756-762 (in Vietnamese).
[19] P. V. Tien, N. B. Thuy, S. Kim, N. K. Cuong, P. K. Ngoc, M. V. Khiem, R. H. Lars, Impact of the Interaction of Surge, Wave, and Tide on The Surge And Wave on the Northern Coast of Vietnam for A Marine Storm Surge and Wave Forecast System, Regional Studies in Marine Science, Vol. 87, 2025, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rsma.2025.104234.
[20] N. L. Tuan, N. T. Khang, L. D. Dung, N. H. Anh, Application of ROMS-SWAN Coupled Model to Simulate Hydrodynamic Field in Hai Phong, Vietnam Journal of Marine Science and Technology, Vol, 22, No. 2, 2022, pp. 123-132, https://doi.org/10.15625/1859-3097/16127.
[21] J. Yang, L. Li, K. Zhao, P. Wang, D. Wang, I. M. Sou et al., Acomparative Study of Typhoon Hato (2017) and Typhoon Mangkhut (2018) - Their Impacts on Coastal Inundationin Macau, Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, Vol. 124, 2019,
pp. 9590-9619, https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JC015249.
[22] D. Feng, Z. Tan, D. Engwirda, C. Liao, D. Xu, G. Bisht, T. Zhou, H. Y. Li, L. R. Leung, Investigating Coastal Backwater Effects and Flooding in the Coastal Zone Using A Global River Transport Model on an Unstructured Mesh, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., Vol. 26, 2022, pp. 5473-5491, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-5473-2022.
[23] H. Zhang, D. Shen, S. Bao, P. Len, Two-Way Coupling of the National Water Model (NWM) and Semi-Implicit Cross-Scale Hydroscience Integrated System Model (SCHISM) for Enhanced Coastal Discharge Predictions, Hydrology,
Vol. 11, No. 9, 2024, pp. 1-16, https://doi.org/10.3390/hydrology11090145.