V. H. Kourafalou, R.S. Balotro, R. Schiller, T.N. Lee (University of Miami/RSMAS); E.M. Johns (NOAA/AOML, Miami, FL); J. Hamrick (TetraTech Inc, Fairfax, VA)
The SoFLA-HYCOM model (South Florida Hybrid Coordinate Ocean Model) (http://hycom.rsmas.miami.edu/overview/SoFLA_HYCOM.pdf) is the regional model for South Florida coastal seas. It has been developed specifically as a connection between South Florida's shallow coastal environments and the adjacent deep areas in the Straits of Florida and the Gulf of Mexico. A particular application of the SoFLA-HYCOM is to provide boundary conditions for the EFDC Florida Bay model, developed by the South Florida Water Management District, in support of the Everglades Restoration Project. The Florida Bay model has been one-way nested to SOFLA-HYCOM. To ensure proper connection of Florida Bay processes with the Gulf of Mexico and the Straits of Florida (as well as the global circulation around them), the SoFLA-HYCOM is nested within the North Atlantic HYCOM that includes the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean. Therefore, the regional model acts as a crucial intermediate step from the large to the coastal scale.