Storm Tide Theory. It can be described as a quasi-two-dimensional 

 numerical scheme for predicting open-coast storm surge. The method is a 

 steady-state integration of the wind stress from the edge of the Conti- 

 nental Shelf, taking into account some of the effects of the alongshore 

 flow caused by the earth's rotation. The devQlopment of this scheme was 

 an improvement over the older one- dimensional schemes which neglected the 

 flow alongshore. The simplicity of the Bathystrophic approximation is 

 due to the fact that integration steps can be carried out in a manner 

 analogous to the one-dimensional problem. The advantage of employing 

 such a scheme is that all computations can be made manually without too 

 much mathematical endeavor. The computational procedure can be further 

 simplified by using electronic data processing. Furthermore, the elec- 

 tronic computer used does not require a very large memory capacity. 



Bretschneider and Collins (1963) used the theory developed by Freeman, 

 Baer and Jung to predict the open-coast surge at Corpus Christi, Texas, . 

 and vicinity. Marinos and Woodward (1968), with some modifications of the 

 model used by Bretschneider and Collins, computed surge hydrographs for 

 various locations along the entire Texas coast. The numerical model 

 described herein is somewhat different than those used by the above 

 investigators. 



There are, however, disadvantages to using simplified schemes such 

 as the Bathystrophic approximation since some physical processes are 

 neglected in the storm- generation problem. For some actual conditions 

 this simplified scheme gives a reasonable estimate of the open-coast 

 surge; for other conditions, it may not be satisfactory at all. Thus, 

 at the expense of talcing a more simple approach to resolving the open- 

 coast storm surge problem, a computational procedure is obtained which 

 may not always be useful in practice. Consequently, such a procedure is 

 restricted to a certain type of surge problem, depending upon the charac- 

 teristics of the shelf involved and the behavior of the meteorological 

 storm. To display the limitations of the Bathystrophic theory we will 

 discuss the principal underlying assiomptions that lead to the theory and 

 the effects resulting from the various approximations . 



Procedures and methods used to compute the open- coast surge for 

 actual hurricanes and hypothetical hurricanes are covered. Also covered 

 are the criteria for establishment of the design water level at a particu- 

 lar site on the coast. A numerical example of computing the open-coast 

 surge is included to further illustrate the method. 



