Team: 97
School: Los Alamos High
Area of Science: Earth and Space Sciences
Proposal: Many natural disasters such as tidal waves pose a threat to the safety of the area around them. Major damage can be inflicted if the surrounding area is unprepared for such an event. I hypothesize that the effect of such natural disasters can be predicted with a computer model, following which appropriate safety precautions may be taken.
The question I aim to answer with this project is: can future natural disasters involving tidal waves or ocean surges be predicted with a computer model beforehand in order to insure safety?
I will design a computer model to simulate ocean wave propagations including the effects of coastlines and variable shoreline depths. The framework for this model will be the a computational fluid dynamics system on a grid using shallow wave mechanics differential equations. I will implement this in python script. I will model a bay area or coastal channel. I will then try driving this model with an input from one side to simulate a large wave. I will observe the effect of this on my computer model. I will make any necessary adjustments to validate my model against test cases where the outcome is known, and repeat until I feel my model is satisfactory. Visualization of the results will be shown in images and movie plots.
Team Members:
Sponsoring Teacher: NA