Wave-Driven Sea Level Rise Inundation: West Maui

Using the Boussinesq Ocean and Surf Zone (BOSZ) phase-resolving model, we produced simulations of inundation depth over land for selected combinations of swell amplitudes and directions under different water levels (WLs) that are controlled by the astronomical tides, long-period anomalies (hereafter, will be referred to as background WL), and long-term sea level rise (SLR).

The simulations represent three scenarios: (i) Minimum Wave Flooding (minimal swell and high background WL); (ii) Annual High Wave Flooding (large swell and high background WL), and; (iii) Maximum Wave Flooding (largest swell and highest background WL). Simulations for the above three scenarios are repeated for the following SLR projections: 0.0 m; 0.3 m (1 ft); 0.6 m (2 ft); 1.0 m (3.3 ft), and; 2.0 m (6.6 ft). Modeling was carried out over a high-resolution two-dimensional digital elevation model (DEM) that was created by blending the following DEM grids: (i) Lidar data from a 2013 survey by USACE (cloud data with resolution on the order of meters), plus Lidar data from a 2000 survey by USACE (cloud data with resolution on the order of meters; used only to fill certain data gaps found in the 2013 Lidar survey), and; (ii) multibeam bathymetry data from the Hawaii Mapping Research Group (50-m resolution).