Physics-based numerical circulation model outputs of ocean surface circulation during the 2010-2013 summer coral-spawning seasons in Maui Nui, Hawaii, USA

The Weather Research and Forecast’s Advanced Research Weather (WRF-ARW) model was used as the basis for wind model forecasts using the National Centers for Environmental Prediction Global Forecast System (NCEP-GFS) data with a 0.5 degree x 0.5 degree grid dynamically downscaled to 2 km. Wave forcing for the circulation model was obtained from NOAA’s WAVEWATCH-III global wave model, which was used, in turn, to drive a Simulating WAves Nearshore (SWAN) model. A Delft3D coupled 3-dimensional, wave-current numerical circulation model for the Maui Nui complex of Hawaii was constructed to examine the effects of winds, waves, tides, and regional currents on circulation in and amongst the islands of Maui Nui. Delft3D-Flow module of the Delft3D model forms the core of the model system to simulate water motion. Two Delft3D models were constructed: (1) the coarser Regional Hawaii Model, and (2) the finer-scale Maui Nui Model, which was nested within the larger Regional Hawaii Model. Results presented here are from the finer-scale Maui Nui model. The bathymetry data for these models were obtained from NOAA’s National Geophysical Data Center’s U.S. Coastal Relief Model 3 arc-s bathymetric dataset. Both of these models consist of the Delft3D-flow and Delft3D-wave modules. The Regional Hawaii Model is a 3-dimensional, rectangular gridded model with 5-km grid resolution. In order to include large-scale oceanic circulation effects, this model was forced using the 3-dimensional global (1/12 degree resolution) HYbrid Coordinate Ocean Model’s (HYCOM) horizontal current velocities, water temperature, and salinity outputs. Tidal information at the boundaries of the coarser Delft3D model was provided by the Oregon State University TOPEX/Poseidon global inverse solution (TPXO). The Maui Nui Model has a 3-dimensional, curvilinear domain with a grid cell resolution of 1 km. The water level, temperature, salinity, and horizontal current velocity boundary conditions necessary to accurately force the Maui Nui Model were supplied by the Regional Hawaii Model using the Delft3D dynamically-downscaling nesting procedure. On the free surface, wind was implemented as a shear stress based on the WRF-ARW wind model data.

Each Delft3D model output run was imported to Matlab and then exported as a netCDF file with self-contained attribute information. Each file name is appended with the model-simulation date in YYYYMMDD format; the file name denotes the beginning of simulation portion of the model run, with the model starting and spinning up over two days before the model-simulation date in the file name.

Edited metadata to add keywords section with USGS persistent identifier as theme keyword. No data were changed.