High Resolution Modelling of the Belgian Coastal Zone using NEMO

Abstract

This master's thesis aims at modelling the hydrodynamics of the Belgian Coastal Zone (BCZ) using the Nucleus for European Modelling of the Ocean (NEMO), an European open-source model specialized in large scale oceanic flows from regional to global scales.

First, the configuration Atlantic Margin Model 7 km (AMM7) made by the English Met Office is assessed. It is a NEMO configuration covering the whole Northwestern European Shelf (NWES) with a resolution of 7 km. This model has been used widely and has been a product of the Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service (CMEMS) for years. It is run on NEMO v5 and its results are analyzed against our current knowledge of the North Sea and against remote and in-situ observations.

Then, a configuration covering the Southern Bight of the North Sea (SBNS) with a resolution of 1 km, based on AMM7 is created and forced laterally by AMM7. The outputs of the model are analyzed in depth, compared with AMM7 and compared with available observations. The benefit of using a high resolution model is assessed on multiple features such as the residual currents, the Rhine/Scheldt salinity plume and a salinity front.