Study on the numerical analysis of storm surges around the coastal zone of Bangladesh

Abstract

Storm surges are a natural phenomenon preceding tropical cyclones, taking place in the coastal zones. Often times they are the most dangerous part of the cyclones, causing the most amount of damage to the population and property of the affected area. While it is quite difficult to predict the heights of surges caused by tropical cyclones accurately in real time, having access to more information regarding surge levels can help save lives and resources. This study is a review paper focused on the Bay of Bengal region, specifically the coastal zone of Bangladesh. It contains derivations of equations and methods as well as definitions of some important aspects of storm surge prediction models. There is a discussion on numerical modeling methods of predicting cyclone track, intensity and the associated storm surges along with the analysis of the data obtained and the results of some relevant papers. The findings here will hopefully summarize and help interested researchers to gain an idea on this field and what to focus on for future work. A deeper understanding of such models can assist governments and relevant authorities in helping communities by improving their disaster-management strategies in high-risk areas to protect coastal populations by having accurate, real-time information on upcoming storm surge forecasts.