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Modeling the impact of the 2019 Bonnet Carré Spillway opening and local river flooding on the Mississippi Sound | IEEE Conference Publication | IEEE Xplore

Modeling the impact of the 2019 Bonnet Carré Spillway opening and local river flooding on the Mississippi Sound


Abstract:

The Bonnet Carré Spillway (BCS) is the final flood defense structure on the Mississippi River protecting the levee system of New Orleans from high pressure and overtoppin...Show More

Abstract:

The Bonnet Carré Spillway (BCS) is the final flood defense structure on the Mississippi River protecting the levee system of New Orleans from high pressure and overtopping due to elevated river stage. This protection is accomplished by diverting Mississippi River flow into Lake Pontchartrain (LP), which then progresses into the Western Mississippi Sound (MSS). Given typical seasonal wind patterns, spring and summer openings of the BCS are more likely to bring diverted waters into the MSS [1]. A recent increase in the frequency of BCS openings coincides with increasing trends in annual precipitation near the south coastal area of the Lower Mississippi River Alluvial valley and moist subsurface conditions that make the system prone to flooding events [2] [3]. This increase includes the first time the BCS opened 3 years consecutively (2018, 2019, & 2020) and the first time the BCS opened twice in one year (2019). The unprecedented 2019 double opening which released flood waters throughout the spring (February 27 – April 11) and summer (May 10 – July 27) resulted in a toxic algal bloom closing of 25 Gulf Coast beaches, a dolphin mortality event, and 100% mortality of MSS shellfisheries at many locations [4] [5].In this study, we use a Coupled Ocean Atmosphere Wave Sediment Transport (COAWST) [6] modeling system application to the Mississippi Sound and Bight (msb-COAWST) with improved river forcing to study the impact of freshwater diversion and local river runoff on the estuarine systems of MSS and LP. River forcing for the model is provided from USGS gauges that measure river discharge flowing into the study area. Hourly atmospheric forcing is provided by NOAA’s High-Resolution Rapid Refresh (HRRR) model [7]. BCS computed discharge available from the US Army Corps of Engineers is provided as forcing for the 2019 openings. Implementation of the BCS in the msb-COAWST domain allows us to run a series of scenarios to isolate processes within model simulations and identify ...
Date of Conference: 20-23 September 2021
Date Added to IEEE Xplore: 15 February 2022
ISBN Information:
Print on Demand(PoD) ISSN: 0197-7385
Conference Location: San Diego, CA, USA

References

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