Modeling storm surge to better protect Texas

The recent floods in Texas have caused some of the worst flooding since Hurricane Ike in 2008, causing the rainiest month in the state's history.

What lessons have been learned from Ike's devastation of the Galveston and Houston area, and how have they helped in the prediction of future such storms?

Researchers at the Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences at the University of Texas at Austin have been studying computational models and simulations of hurricanes like Ike in order to predict the consequences of such natural disasters and better prepare the Texas Gulf Coast for their effects.

Environmental and coastal ocean engineering models yield complex systems that combine interdisciplinary techniques. Accurate and efficient simulation requires advanced tools in high performance scientific computing. Jennifer Proft of UT Austin discusses new ideas for the high resolution modeling of extreme weather such as hurricane storm surge and floods: