Articles | Volume 11, issue 5
https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-11-1849-2018
https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-11-1849-2018
Model description paper
 | 
14 May 2018
Model description paper |  | 14 May 2018

Cohesive and mixed sediment in the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS v3.6) implemented in the Coupled Ocean–Atmosphere–Wave–Sediment Transport Modeling System (COAWST r1234)

Christopher R. Sherwood, Alfredo L. Aretxabaleta, Courtney K. Harris, J. Paul Rinehimer, Romaric Verney, and Bénédicte Ferré

Abstract. We describe and demonstrate algorithms for treating cohesive and mixed sediment that have been added to the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS version 3.6), as implemented in the Coupled Ocean–Atmosphere–Wave–Sediment Transport Modeling System (COAWST Subversion repository revision 1234). These include the following: floc dynamics (aggregation and disaggregation in the water column); changes in floc characteristics in the seabed; erosion and deposition of cohesive and mixed (combination of cohesive and non-cohesive) sediment; and biodiffusive mixing of bed sediment. These routines supplement existing non-cohesive sediment modules, thereby increasing our ability to model fine-grained and mixed-sediment environments. Additionally, we describe changes to the sediment bed layering scheme that improve the fidelity of the modeled stratigraphic record. Finally, we provide examples of these modules implemented in idealized test cases and a realistic application.

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Short summary
Cohesive sediment (mud) is ubiquitous in the world's coastal regions, but its behavior is complicated and often oversimplified by computer models. This paper describes extensions to a widely used open-source coastal ocean model that allow users to simulate important components of cohesive sediment transport.