CoSMoS 3.2 Northern California sub-regional tier 2 FLOW-WAVE model input files

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Frequently anticipated questions:

What does this data set describe?

Title:
CoSMoS 3.2 Northern California sub-regional tier 2 FLOW-WAVE model input files
Abstract:
This data set consists of physics-based Delft3D-FLOW and WAVE hydrodynamic model input files used for Coastal Storm Modeling System (CoSMoS) sub-regional tier 2 simulations. Sub-regional tier 2 simulations cover portions of the Northern California open-coast region, from Point Arena to the California/Oregon state border, and they provide boundary conditions to higher-resolution simulations. Simulations are run for several storm events (covering a range of no storm, 1-year, 20-year, and 100-year coastal storm conditions) and sea-level rise (SLR) scenarios.
Supplemental_Information:
For information on data sources and details on methodology of this dataset, see source information below. For more information on CoSMoS implementation, see https://www.usgs.gov/centers/pcmsc/science/coastal-storm-modeling-system-cosmos?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects.
  1. How might this data set be cited?
    O'Neill, Andrea C., Thomas, Jennifer A., Erikson, Li H., and Barnard, Patrick L., 20230626, CoSMoS 3.2 Northern California sub-regional tier 2 FLOW-WAVE model input files: data release DOI:10.5066/P9048D1S, U.S. Geological Survey, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Santa Cruz, California.

    Online Links:

    This is part of the following larger work.

    Barnard, Patrick L., Erikson, Li H., Foxgrover, Amy C., Limber, Patrick W., Nederhoff, Cornelis, O'Neill, Andrea C., Thomas, Jennifer A., Vitousek, Sean F., and Sarfraz, Ayesha, 2022, Coastal Storm Modeling System (CoSMoS) for northern California 3.2 (ver. 1h, December 2025): data release DOI:10.5066/P9048D1S, U.S. Geological Survey, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Santa Cruz, California.

    Online Links:

  2. What geographic area does the data set cover?
    West_Bounding_Coordinate: -124.9070
    East_Bounding_Coordinate: -121.7744
    North_Bounding_Coordinate: 42.1906
    South_Bounding_Coordinate: 37.0689
  3. What does it look like?
    https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/file/get/64347417d34ee8d4add91266?name=NorthernCalifornia_CoSMoS3-2_tier2_model_regions.png&allowOpen=true (PNG)
    Map showing location and names of sub-regional Delft3D FLOW-WAVE models.
  4. Does the data set describe conditions during a particular time period?
    Calendar_Date: 2025
    Currentness_Reference:
    year of publication
  5. What is the general form of this data set?
    Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: NetCDF
  6. How does the data set represent geographic features?
    1. How are geographic features stored in the data set?
      Indirect_Spatial_Reference:
      The model input files for Delft3D FLOW-WAVE (Delft3D 4.04.01) are for CoSMoS 3.2 Northern California sub-regions (tier 2). Models are identified by a 2-letter designation: 'de' covers Del Norte County, 'hu' covers Humboldt Bay, 'lc' covers Cape Mendocino, 'me' covers most of Mendocino County north of Point Arena, 'pa' covers Point Arena to Bodega Bay, 'bt' covers Bodega Bay to Drakes Estero, and 'gn' covers south of Drakes Estero to the entrance to San Francisco Bay. Simulated storm event conditions are synced to a representative spring tide (November 2010). Each model setup included is for the 0 m SLR and the 5 March 2044 (100-year) storm event. See O'Neill and others (2018) for a full explanation of the model setup.
    2. What coordinate system is used to represent geographic features?
      Grid_Coordinate_System_Name: Universal Transverse Mercator
      Universal_Transverse_Mercator:
      UTM_Zone_Number: 10
      Transverse_Mercator:
      Scale_Factor_at_Central_Meridian: 0.999600
      Longitude_of_Central_Meridian: -100.000000
      Latitude_of_Projection_Origin: 0.000000
      False_Easting: 500000.000000
      False_Northing: 0.000000
      Planar coordinates are encoded using row and column
      Abscissae (x-coordinates) are specified to the nearest 2.000000
      Ordinates (y-coordinates) are specified to the nearest 2.000000
      Planar coordinates are specified in meters
      The horizontal datum used is North American Datum 1983 (NSRS2007).
      The ellipsoid used is Geodetic Reference System 80.
      The semi-major axis of the ellipsoid used is 6378137.000000.
      The flattening of the ellipsoid used is 1/298.257222.
      Vertical_Coordinate_System_Definition:
      Depth_System_Definition:
      Depth_Datum_Name: NAVD88
      Depth_Resolution: 2.0
      Depth_Distance_Units: meters
      Depth_Encoding_Method: Implicit coordinate
  7. How does the data set describe geographic features?
    Entity_and_Attribute_Overview:
    Model setup files include all files necessary to run sub-regional tier 2 simulation for CoSMoS 3.2 in Northern California with Delft3D FLOW-WAVE. Boundary conditions illustrate a 100-yr storm event (5 March 2044) and 0 m SLR.
    Entity_and_Attribute_Detail_Citation:
    Model setup files for CoSMoS 3.2 Northern California sub-regional tier 2 simulations, created in Delft3D 4.04.01. The entity and attribute information were generated by the individual and/or agency identified as the originator of the data set. Please review the rest of the metadata record for additional details and information.

Who produced the data set?

  1. Who are the originators of the data set? (may include formal authors, digital compilers, and editors)
    • Andrea C. O'Neill
    • Jennifer A. Thomas
    • Li H. Erikson
    • Patrick L. Barnard
  2. Who also contributed to the data set?
    This project was funded by U.S. Geological Survey Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program. Resources supporting this work were provided by the NASA High-End Computing (HEC) Program through the NASA Advanced Supercomputing (NAS) Division at Ames Research Center.
  3. To whom should users address questions about the data?
    U.S. Geological Survey, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
    Attn: PCMSC Science Data Coordinator
    2885 Mission Street
    Santa Cruz, CA

    831-427-4747 (voice)
    pcmsc_data@usgs.gov

Why was the data set created?

This work is part of on-going modeling efforts for California. The Coastal Storm Modeling system uses several tiers of numerical models to make detailed predictions (meter-scale) of flooding and erosion over large geographic scales. These data are intended for science researchers, technical users, and students.

How was the data set created?

  1. From what previous works were the data drawn?
    DEM (source 1 of 6)
    U.S. Geological Survey, 2021, Coastal National Elevation Database (CoNED) Project - Topobathymetric Digital Elevation Model (TBDEM) for Northern California: U.S. Geological Survey, online.

    Online Links:

    Type_of_Source_Media: online database
    Source_Contribution:
    Elevation data used to prescribe topobathy elevations in model grid
    GCM data (source 2 of 6)
    Pierce, D.W., Cayan, D.R., and Thrasher, B.L., 2015, LOCA Statistical Downscaling (Localized Constructed Analogs): Scripps Institute of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, California, Scripps Institute of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, California.

    Online Links:

    Type_of_Source_Media: online
    Source_Contribution:
    statistically downscaled Global Climate Model (GCM) wind, pressure and precipitation data for California
    TWL proxies (source 3 of 6)
    O'Neill, Andrea C., Erikson, Li H., and Barnard, Patrick L., 2022, Nearshore total water level (TWL) proxies (2018-2100) for Northern California: U.S. Geological Survey, online.

    Online Links:

    Type_of_Source_Media: online database
    Source_Contribution:
    proxies of nearshore Total Water Level to identify storm events for use in CoSMoS 3.2 Northern California
    Tier 1 regional model (source 4 of 6)
    O'Neill, Andrea C., Erikson, Li H., and Barnard, Patrick L., 2022, CoSMoS 3.2 Northern California Tier 1 FLOW-WAVE model input files: U.S. Geological Survey, online.

    Online Links:

    Type_of_Source_Media: online database
    Source_Contribution:
    Tier 1 simulations cover the entire Northern California region and provide boundary conditions to higher-resolution models
    buoy observations (source 5 of 6)
    National Data Buoy Center (NDBC), 2019, Historical data for various buoy stations: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), online.

    Online Links:

    Type_of_Source_Media: online database
    Source_Contribution: ocean wave observation records at buoy stations
    tide gages (source 6 of 6)
    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 2019, NOAA Water Level Information for Tide Stations: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), online.

    Online Links:

    Type_of_Source_Media: online database
    Source_Contribution:
    water level measurements at various tide stations for validation of model setup
  2. How were the data generated, processed, and modified?
    Date: 20-Dec-2022 (process 1 of 4)
    Model grids (.grd and .enc), elevations (.dep, m) and other Delf3D-specific setup files (.ddb, .url, .fil, .mdf., .mdw, .src, .dis, .bnd, .bct, .bcw, and meteo files) for tier 2 subregions (as described by O'Neill and others, 2018) are generated for Northern California. See Deltares Manuals (2018a and 2018b) for a description (and applicable units) of model files. Models are identified by a 2-letter designation (in runid files) and cover multiple areas of interest: 'de' covers Del Norte County, 'hu' covers Humboldt Bay, 'lc' covers Cape Mendocino, 'me' covers most of Mendocino County north of Point Arena, 'pa' covers southern Mendocino county from Point Arena to Bodega Bay, 'bt' covers Bodega Bay to Drakes Estero, and 'gn' covers south of Drakes Estero to the entrance to San Francisco Bay. Models are set up in the cartesian coordinate system (UTM 10) and elevations are referenced to NAVD88. Each model consists of one outer grid (identified by the 2-letter designation) and multiple two-way coupled domain decomposition (DD) grids (for example, hi000F, hi001F, and so on). To test the model grid/setup, water levels and wave heights were compared to observations of a storm system in January 2010 (O'Neill and others, 2018) using forcing data from the California Reanalysis Downscaling at 10 km (CaRD10) wind/pressure fields (Kanamitsu and Kanamaru, 2007). Modeled water levels and wave heights were compared to observations from tide gauges and wave buoys during the same 2-week time period preceding and during the January 2010 storm. For sub-regions covering areas with tide gages (de, hu, me, pa, bt, gn), modeled water level RMSE is 13 cm, 9 cm, 9 cm, 12 cm, 9 cm, and 12 cm respectively; modeled water levels in sub-regions without tide gauges (lc) are compared to validated Tier 1 outputs with RMSE of 7 cm. Similarly, sub-regions with buoy observations (hb, de, gn) have wave height RMSE 13 cm, 55 cm and 43 cm (corrected for timing offsets in forcing) respectively. Inspection of reanalysis wind fields (Kanamitsu and Kanamaru, 2007) indicate the January 2010 storm is not represented as accurately in the CaRD10 forcing dataset in the northernmost sections of the region as other areas of this Northern California study, affecting wave height comparisons and RMSE. Sub-regions without buoy observations (lc, me, pa, bt) are compared to validated Tier 1 output and match output with RMSE of 38 cm, 28 cm, 30 cm, and 40 cm (respectively). For an in-depth discussion of tier 2 validation and model setup see O'Neill and others (2018). Data sources used in this process:
    • DEM
    • tide gages
    • buoy observations
    Data sources produced in this process:
    • validated model setup files
    Date: 20-Dec-2022 (process 2 of 4)
    Peak discharges were identified for rivers of interest in the storm scenarios simulated in regional Tier 1 model, using methods described by O'Neill and others (2018). For Northern California, associated precipitation data from the same Global Climate Model were used to determine relationships to discharge (in lieu of using maximum SLP gradients). Relationships were identified using log-linear curves, rather than linear trends, for rivers with high correlation of extreme storm runoff estimates to neighboring rivers and creeks (O'Neill and others, 2018). Peak discharges for 'parent' rivers (Audobon Creek, Walker Creek, Big River, Noyo River, Ten Mile River, Elk River, and Little River) were scaled to associated 'child' rivers by watershed area (O'Neill and others, 2018) and included in model setup files (.dis, m3/s). Data sources used in this process:
    • GCM data
    Data sources produced in this process:
    • discharge estimates
    Date: 15-Apr-2023 (process 3 of 4)
    Setup files were adjusted for all storm scenarios simulated in regional Tier 1 model. Water level and wave data were extracted from each Tier 1 simulation to serve as boundary conditions for the sub-regional model. Storm events identified from future climate conditions (TWL proxies) that were simulated are: 3 May 2031 (no storm); 9 February 2020, 10 December 2071, and 19 October 2058 (1-year storm); 9 February 2074, 10 December 2052, and 15 December 2063 (20-year storm); and 8 December 2023, 27 November 2056, 5 March 2044, and 23 December 2083 (100-year storm). For each event, setup files (wind, sea-level pressure, water level, discharge and wave forcing files) are adjusted to use the extracted Tier 1 boundary conditions; discharge estimates were synced to the onset of storm conditions. For each storm event, simulations are run with a range of SLR: 0 m, 0.5 m, 1.0 m, 1.5 m, 2.0 m, 3.0 m, and 5.0 m. As done in Tier 1 and described in O'Neill and others (2018), all simulations are run over a representative spring tide in November 2010. All storm event conditions are synced to this representative tide cycle. See O'Neill and others (2018) on scenario setup and Erikson and others (2018) for information on storm selection. Data sources used in this process:
    • validated model setup files
    • GCM data
    • discharge estimates
    • Tier 1 regional model
    • TWL proxies
    Data sources produced in this process:
    • scenario model setup files used in CoSMoS 3.2
    Date: 10-Jul-2025 (process 4 of 4)
    Setup files supporting Mendocino County updates (following same process steps) were added to the dataset and metadata was updated accordingly. Person who carried out this activity:
    Andrea C. O'Neill
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Oceanographer
    2885 Mission Street
    Santa Cruz, CA

    831-427-7586 (voice)
    aoneill@usgs.gov
  3. What similar or related data should the user be aware of?
    O'Neill, A.C., Erikson, L.H., Barnard, P.L., Limber, P.W., Vitousek, S., Warrick, J, Foxgrover, A.C., and Lovering, J.L., 2018, Projected 21st Century Coastal Flooding in the Southern California Bight. Part 1: Development of the Third Generation CoSMoS Model.

    Other_Citation_Details:
    O'Neill, A.C., Erikson, L.H., Barnard, P.L., Limber, P.W., Vitousek, S., Warrick, J.A., Foxgrover, A.C., Lovering, J., 2018, Projected 21st Century Coastal Flooding in the Southern California Bight. Part 1: Development of the Third Generation CoSMoS Model: Journal of Marine Science and Engineering, vol. 6, art. 59, https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse6020059.
    Erikson, L.H., Espejo, A., Barnard, P.L., Serafin, K.A., Hegermiller, C.A., O'Neill, A.C., Ruggiero, P., Limber, P.W., and Mendez, F.J., 2018, Identification of storm events and contiguous coastal sections for deterministic modeling of extreme coastal flood events in response to climate change.

    Other_Citation_Details:
    Erikson, L.H., Espejo, A., Barnard, P.L., Serafin, K.A., Hegermiller, C.A., O'Neill, A.C., Ruggiero, P., Limber, P.W., and Mendez, F.J., 2018, Identification of storm events and contiguous coastal sections for deterministic modeling of extreme coastal flood events in response to climate change: Coastal Engineering, v. 140, p. 316-330, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coastaleng.2018.08.003.
    Kanamitsu, M., and Kanamaru, H., 2007, Fifty-seven-year California Reanalysis Downscaling at 10 km (CaRD10). Part I: System detail and validation with observations.

    Other_Citation_Details:
    Kanamitsu, M. and Kanamaru, H., 2007, Fifty-seven-year California Reanalysis Downscaling at 10 km (CaRD10). Part I: System detail and validation with observations: Journal of Climate, v. 20, p. 5553–5571, https://doi.org/10.1175/2007JCLI1482.1.
    Deltares, 2018, Delft3D-FLOW User Manual.

    Other_Citation_Details:
    Deltares, 2018a, Delft3D-FLOW User Manual, Delft, Netherlands, 672 p., https://content.oss.deltares.nl/delft3d4/, (Accessed 2018).
    Deltares, 2018, Delft3D-WAVE User Manual.

    Other_Citation_Details:
    Deltares, 2018b, Delft3D-WAVE User Manual, Delft, Netherlands, 198 p., https://content.oss.deltares.nl/delft3d4/, (Accessed 2018).

How reliable are the data; what problems remain in the data set?

  1. How well have the observations been checked?
    Model setup is validated for a historical storm event in the Northern California region with water level RMSE of up to 14 cm and wave height RMSE of up to 55 cm; see process steps for discussion of spatial variability. See O'Neill and others (2018) for more information on setup and accuracy.
  2. How accurate are the geographic locations?
    Data are concurrent with the referenced Digital Elevation Model.
  3. How accurate are the heights or depths?
    Model-derived data are accurate within the limitations outlined in O'Neill and others (2018).
  4. Where are the gaps in the data? What is missing?
    Dataset is considered complete for the information presented.
  5. How consistent are the relationships among the observations, including topology?
    Data have undergone QA/QC and fall within expected/reasonable ranges.

How can someone get a copy of the data set?

Are there legal restrictions on access or use of the data?
Access_Constraints No access constraints
Use_Constraints USGS-authored or produced data and information are in the public domain from the U.S. Government and are freely redistributable with proper metadata and source attribution. These data are marked with a Creative Common CC0 1.0 Universal License. Please recognize and acknowledge Deltares, the U.S. Geological Survey, and TU Delft as the originators of the dataset and in products derived from these data.
  1. Who distributes the data set? (Distributor 1 of 1)
    U.S. Geological Survey - ScienceBase
    Denver Federal Center, Building 810, Mail Stop 302
    Denver, CO

    1-888-275-8747 (voice)
    sciencebase@usgs.gov
  2. What's the catalog number I need to order this data set? Downloadable data in Delft3D-FLOW and WAVE numerical model input file format.
  3. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?
    Unless otherwise stated, all data, metadata and related materials are considered to satisfy the quality standards relative to the purpose for which the data were collected. Although these data and associated metadata have been reviewed for accuracy and completeness and approved for release by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), no warranty expressed or implied is made regarding the display or utility of the data on any other system or for general or scientific purposes, nor shall the act of distribution constitute any such warranty. Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.
  4. How can I download or order the data?

Who wrote the metadata?

Dates:
Last modified: 12-Dec-2025
Metadata author:
U.S. Geological Survey, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
Attn: PCMSC Science Data Coordinator
2885 Mission Street
Santa Cruz, CA

831-427-4747 (voice)
pcmsc_data@usgs.gov
Metadata standard:
Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata (FGDC-STD-001-1998)
This page is <https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/catalog/pcmsc/DataReleases/ScienceBase/DR_P9048D1S/NorthernCalifornia_tier2_model-setup-files_metadata.faq.html>
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