Below are current modeling projects to better understand circulation, waves, and winds in Cook Inlet.
| Model | Modeler | Purpose |
Prediction |
| Cook Inlet Operational Forecast System (CIOFS) | Rich Patchen and Lyon Lanerolle, NOAA | Model Cook Inlet circulation | Water levels and 3D currents, temp and salinity |
| ROMS 3D Data Assimilation (3DVAR) | Yi Chao, NASA Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL) | Model 3D circulation with tides; assimilate in situ and remotely sensed data to enable nowcast and forecast | 3D temperature, salinity and current; 2D sea level |
| PWS-WRF Model | Peter Olsson, UAA AEFF | Forecast the state of the atmosphere (hourly to 48 hours) | The 3-D state of a host of atmospheric, meteorological and surface variables |
| GNOME/CATS | Glen Watabayashi, NOAA/ORR/ERD | Oil spill response modeling | Oil Movement |
| NOAA Wave Watch 3 model with nested Alaska grid | Eddie Zingone, NOAA-NWS | Wave height guidance for marine forecasters | Significant wave heights, wind waves. It also produces period and direction for wind waves as well as primary and secondary swells |
| Delf3D | Tom Ravens and UAA grad students, UAA | Distrib.of water level and velocity, impact of hydrokinetic devices on flow and sediment transport |
Water level, depth- averaged velocity, sediment tranport, impact of hydrokinetic devices |
| Time dependent discrete spectral wave model WAM-CY4.5.1C and CY4.5.2 |
Bob Jensen, USACE | Estimate time and spatial evolution of directional wave spectra. |
2D (frequency/direction) wave spectra where frequency spectra and integral properties of the sea-state (height, period, and direction) are derived |
| ADCIRC Model for Port of Anchorage, Expansion & Deepening | Ray Chapman, USACE | Investigate the development and evolution of gyres before/during Port expansion, and the influence on navigation operations and dredging requirements. | Water surface elevations and hydrodynamic fields throughout Cook Inlet , Knik and Turnagan Arms. |
| Princeton Ocean Model with Wetting & Drying, POM-WAD, |
Tal Ezer (Old Dominion) and Lie-Yauw Oey (Princeton) | Study 3D dynamics and inundation processes; simulate movements of belugas for analysis of mudflats topography | Hourly water level, temperature, salinity, 3D velocity field, flooded/exposed area (location of moving shore line) |