  An approach to utilizing adaptive mesh refinement algorithms for storm surge
modeling is proposed. Currently numerical models exist that can resolve the
details of coastal regions but are often too costly to be run in an ensemble
forecasting framework without significant computing resources. The application
of adaptive mesh refinement algorithms substantially lowers the computational
cost of a storm surge model run while retaining much of the desired coastal
resolution. The approach presented is implemented in the \geoclaw framework and
compared to \adcirc for Hurricane Ike along with observed tide gauge data and
the computational cost of each model run.
