Improving Spatial Resolution in NOAA’s Historical Flood Data using Coastal Ocean Reanalysis (CORA)
Discipline: Ecology Environmental and Earth Sciences
Subcategory: environmental science
Session: 2
Room: 2 - International Ballroom North
Paola Marie Santini Dosal - University of Central Florida
Co-Author(s): Annalise Keeney, Audra Luscher
NOAA’s Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS) provides critical coastal data and services, primarily through the National Water Level Observation Network (NWLON). While NWLON offers essential real-time and historical water level data, significant gaps remain between stations, particularly along remote and densely populated coastlines. To address this, the Coastal Ocean Reanalysis (CORA) project combines NWLON observations with hydrodynamic modeling to improve the resolution and accuracy of historical coastal water level data, providing insights into areas between stations.
CORA integrates the ADCIRC and SWAN models to simulate and validate coastal flooding with high precision, supporting researchers, policymakers, and coastal communities in addressing sea level rise and extreme weather impacts. For example, a case study in Miami following Hurricane Irma demonstrated CORA’s ability to accurately model storm surges, even when landfall occurred 180 km away. Such data is invaluable for assessing historical sea level changes, evaluating flood risks, and supporting long-term coastal planning.
Collaboration with stakeholders, such as researchers at the University of Hawaii’s Sea Level Center, underscores the importance of integrating diverse perspectives in product development. Stakeholder input and partnerships enhance inundation products, such as NOAA’s Coastal Inundation Dashboard, which visualizes flood risks using CORA data, webcam observations, and citizen scientist contributions.
Funder Acknowledgement(s): NOAA EPP/MSI Undergraduate Program
Faculty Advisor: Analise Keeney, Analise.Keeney@noaa.gov
Role: As a NOAA intern, I focus on enhancing the utility of the Coastal Ocean Reanalysis (CORA) project by bridging data gaps in coastal water level observations. My role involves creating GIS-based visualizations and developing use cases to map flood risks and highlight maximum water levels during extreme weather events. I collaborate with stakeholders, including University of Hawaii researchers, to refine NOAA’s inundation products, integrating citizen scientist data and webcam imagery into tools like the Coastal Inundation Dashboard. Through ESRI StoryMaps and outreach materials, I made CORA data accessible to support informed coastal planning and resilience.