Circulation Modeling Terms of
Reference
1. Objectives - The primary objectives of a
Florida Bay circulation model are to accurately simulate salinity fields and
advective pathways under different management scenarios and different natural
conditions. This includes reasonable
estimates of basin residence times and turnover rates and the
effects (if any) of widening and/or deepening
passes through the Keys or reconstructing cuts where they have been completely filled in.
2. Physics - Any Florida Bay circulation model
developed should incorporate realistic physics and take full advantage of the
sophisticated understanding of the major relevant processes and features that
has been developed by the physical science team and its members. These physical processes should include
advection and both horizontal and vertical mixing.
3. Bathymetry/Boundary Conditions - Any Florida
Bay circulation model will have to use the best available bathymetric data
(currently USGS) and boundary condition data, whatever their source. Surface boundary conditions include
atmospheric forcing i.e., winds, evapotranspiration, radiation. Hydrographic boundary conditions include
currents, water elevation (tides), temperature, and salinity. Hydrologic boundary conditions include surface
water and groundwater. The southwest
coast of Florida, encompassing the freshwater effluents from the Shark River
slough, must be included in the model domain. The Florida Bay model should be
coupled to a large-scale regional model to include effects of the Loop Current
and Florida Current.
4. Resolution - Any Florida Bay circulation
model will need the appropriate grid resolution to address the different
spatial and temporal scales implicit in the aforementioned objectives. For example, scenario evaluation may require
decade long simulations due to naturally high interannual variability, long
residence times in interior basins and lagged ecological responses.
5. Uniform Database Trials - The PMC is
sponsoring a standard database for the six-year period from October 1994
through 2000 inclusively. This will be
made available to all PMC agencies and the entire Florida Bay research
community and will be used in model verification trials. It is expected that
the model should be able to reproduce observed spatial and temporal patterns of
salinity, sea level and circulation.
6. Portable - Any Florida Bay circulation model
developed should be portable in that the code used becomes public domain and is
delivered to the member agencies of the PMC.
This implies it is thoroughly documented and not platform specific but
usable by any relatively sophisticated physical modeling group. It also implies that it cannot absolutely
require parallel processing capability or supercomputer access.
7. Linkage – A useful Florida Bay circulation
model must be able to provide the physical information and temporal and spatial
resolution required to drive, initialize or constrain other Florida Bay
simulation models - e.g., water quality and ecological models.