U.S.-Venezuela Cooperative Research: A Numerical Study of anOcean-Strait-Inland Sea System: the Lake Maracaibo System

这项工作的目的是通过实施先进的三维有限元方案（模型）来定量模拟委内瑞拉西部马拉开波湖系统的水动力学，研究发生在沿海和内陆水域的各种物理过程。马拉开波湖及其海洋通道代表了一个非常复杂的系统。尽管有限元方法能够处理复杂的几何和空间尺度，但很少有人尝试使用这种方法进行三维现场研究，而且这些研究缺乏足够的现场数据来进行充分的比较。与委内瑞拉的一个小组合作提供了一个机会，通过直接比较马拉开波湖系统现有的实地数据来验证模型。

The objective of this work is to study various physical processes occurring in coastal and inland waters by implementing an advanced three-dimensional finite element scheme (model) to simulate quantitatively the hydrodynamics of the Lake Maracaibo system in Western Venezuela. Lake Maracaibo and its ocean access represent a very complex system. Despite the capability of the finite element method for handling complex geometrics and spatial scales, very few three-dimensional field studies have been attempted using this method, and these have lacked sufficient field data for adequate comparisons. Collaboration with a Venezuelan group offers an opportunity to verify models by direct comparison to existing field data from the Lake Maracaibo system.