Interactive atlas of winds and waves of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area (B3.1)

Task leader: Professor Tom Hardy, James Cook University.

Task associate: Mr Martin Gledhill, Pacific MArine Group.

A CD-based model which simulates wave patterns derived from cyclones has been developed from an analysis of 6,000 tropical cyclones, and has been demonstrated to management, industry and engineering designers. The model provides probability relationships for wave heights from cyclonic storms at thousands of points along the length of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR). The Wave Atlas will be a readily accessible tool to resolve the difficult issue of wave design energy for tourist pontoons on the GBR by allowing an evaluation of the probability of generating waves of particular sizes in a specified location as a result of cyclonic conditions.

In developing the atlas, a model capable of simulating the time histories of tracts and central pressures for tropical cyclones in the Coral Sea was developed. The model was used to generate an ensemble of 6,000 cyclones that represent the population of cyclones that threaten the GBR region. The cyclones were simulated by numerical wind and wave models developed by the researchers in this project.

The wave atlas is now available online at http://mmu.jcu.edu.au

In 2002, the Institution of Engineers, Australia awarded three members of the Marine Modelling Unit the Kevin Stark Memorial Award for Excellence in Coastal and Ocean Engineering for their work that created the Atlas of Tropical Cyclone Waves in the Great Barrier Reef

The Marine Modelling Unit (MMU) is a sub-unit of the School of Engineering at James Cook University. The School has a long history of both research and consulting in the fields of coastal engineering and physical oceanography. The location of the University in the tropical cyclone belt and at the centre of the Great Barrier Reef region has helped stimulate the interest in these fields.

Tropical cyclones present difficult problems for coastal engineers and planners, not only because of the potential severity of the waves and water levels, but also because of the infrequency of severe events and the resulting uncertainty of the data base. The MMU has concentrated on the computer modelling of the above mentioned phenomena. Computer models of waves, currents, tides, and storm surges have been developed and refined through use in direct engineering applications.

The MMU's research and consulting efforts have gone beyond the more traditional oceanographic and engineering areas. Substantial research and consulting efforts, combining the hydrodynamics with probability, risk assessment, and biological modelling have been undertaken. This multi-disciplinary approach to the modelling of systems is one of the strengths of the MMU.