Simulation of Cyclone ‘Aila-2009’ by Using WRF-ARW Model and Numerical Storm Surge Model - Monitoring and Prediction of Tropical Cyclones in the Indian Ocean and Climate Change - page 258

Simulation of Cyclone 'Aila-2009' by
Using WRF-ARW Model and
Numerical Storm Surge Model
Sujit Kumar Debsarma*, Md. Mizanur Rahman
and Farhana F. Nessa
SAARC Meteorological Research Centre (SMRC)
E-4/C, Agargaon, Dhaka - 1207, Bangladesh
*e-mail: [e-mail]
1. Introduction
Tropical cyclone is regarded as the most destructive meteorological
phenomenon, which ravage life and property especially over the coastal belt
due to storm surges and extremely strong winds at the time of landfall. It is
evident that mortality associated with tropical cyclones is considerably high
especially in the Bay of Bengal region mainly due to dense population, inferior
infra-structures, poor socio-economic conditions and shallow bathymetry. Many
severe cyclonic storms with core of hurricane winds (super cyclones) has, so
far, hit Bangladesh namely Bakerganj Cyclone of 1876, 12 November Cyclone
of 1970, 29 April Cyclone of 1991 and Sidr of 2007. Though cyclone Aila-
2009 was of moderate intensity it ravaged southwestern part of Bangladesh
badly. Therefore this study is carried out to investigate movements and structures
of the cyclone Aila (25 May 2009) by using Advanced Research Weather
Research and Forecasting (ARF-ARW) model and its associated storm surge
by using Hydro-dynamical/Numerical storm surge model with air bubble
experiment.
2. Methodology
2.1 WRF Model
The WRF system, developed by the National Center for Atmospheric Research
(NCAR) of USA, is a next generation meso-scale numerical weather forecasting
community model, which has the potential to simulate meteorological