A simple approach to adjust tidal forcing in fjord models

To model currents in a fjord accurate tidal forcing is of extreme importance. Due to complex topography with narrow and shallow straits, the tides in the innermost parts of a fjord are both shifted in phase and altered in amplitude compared to the tides in the open water outside the fjord. Commonly, coastal tide information extracted from global or regional models is used on the boundary of the fjord model. Since tides vary over short distances in shallower waters close to the coast, the global and regional tidal forcings are usually too coarse to achieve sufficiently accurate tides in fjords. We present a straightforward method to remedy this problem by simply adjusting the tides to fit the observed tides at the entrance of the fjord. To evaluate the method, we present results from the Oslofjord, Norway. A model for the fjord is first run using raw tidal forcing on its open boundary. By comparing modelled and observed time series of water level at a tidal gauge station close to the open boundary of the model, a factor for the amplitude and a shift in phase are computed. The amplitude factor and the phase shift are then applied to produce adjusted tidal forcing at the open boundary. Next, we rerun the fjord model using the adjusted tidal forcing. The results from the two runs are then compared to independent observations inside the fjord in terms of amplitude and phases of the various tidal components, the total tidal water level, and the depth integrated tidal currents. The results show improvements in the modelled tides in both the outer, and more importantly, the inner parts of the fjord.     

The influence of tides, wind and waves on the net sand transport in the North Sea

Large-scale redistribution of sand by hydrodynamical processes in shelf seas is important for basin and coastal evolution on time scales of a thousand to tens of thousands of years. The influence of tides on the large-scale net sand-transport patterns in the North Sea has received much attention, but the influence of wind-driven flow and wind waves has hardly been investigated. Here, to establish the present-day situation and to develop a method that can also be used for palaeo-situations and forecasts for different sea levels, this influence is assessed for the present southern North Sea using a numerical flow model, a parametric wave model and a wave-averaged sand-transport formulation. Various forcing combinations are used to identify the dominant transport mechanisms: tides only, tides and wind, tides and waves, and combined tides, wind and waves. Wind forcing is applied in two ways to find an efficient, but still representative, method of incorporating this stochastic process: a statistical wind climatology and an observed time series. The results show that (i) the wind climatology yields a good approximation of the sand transport computed using the time series; (ii) wind-driven flow and waves only contribute significantly to the net sand transport by tides when acting together where tidal currents are small; and (iii) various combinations of forcings dominate the net sand transport in different regions of the southern North Sea: (a) tides dominate in the southern, middle and northwestern parts of the Southern Bight and in the region of The Wash; (b) tides, wind-driven flow and waves all are important in the northeastern part of the Southern Bight; and (c) wind-driven flow and waves dominate north of the Friesian Islands, in the German Bight and on the Dogger Bank. Qualitative comparison with observations shows good agreement.     

Investigation of three-dimensional circulation and hydrography over the Pearl River Estuary of China using a nested-grid coastal circulation model

The Pearl River Estuary (PRE) in South China's Guangdong Province is a subtropical estuary with highly irregular topography and dynamically complicated circulations. A nested-grid coastal circulation modelling system is used in this study to examine dynamic responses of the PRE to tides, meteorological forcing and buoyancy forcing. The nested-grid modelling system is based on the Princeton Ocean Model and consists of three downscaling subcomponents: including an outer-most model with a coarse horizontal resolution of ~7 km for simulating tidally forced and wind-driven surface elevations and depth-mean currents over the China Seas from Bohai Sea to the northern South China Sea and an innermost model with a fine resolution of ~1.2 km for simulating the 3D coastal circulation and hydrography over the PRE and adjacent coastal waters. Model results during the winter northeast monsoon surge in January and super typhoon Koryn in June of 1993 are used to demonstrate that the 3D coastal circulation and hydrographic distributions in the PRE are affected by tides, winds and buoyancy forcing associated with river discharge from the Pearl River with significant seasonal and synoptic variabilities.     

The predictability of near-coastal currents using a baroclinic unstructured grid model

A limited domain, coastal ocean forecast system consisting of an unstructured grid model, a meteorological model, a regional ocean model, and a global tidal database is designed to be globally relocatable. For such a system to be viable, the predictability of coastal currents must be well understood with error sources clearly identified. To this end, the coastal forecast system is applied at the mouth of Chesapeake Bay in response to a Navy exercise. Two-day forecasts are produced for a 10-day period from 4 to 14 June 2010 and compared to real-time observations. Interplay between the temporal frequency of the regional model boundary forcing and the application of external tides to the coastal model impacts the tidal characteristics of the coastal current, even contributing a small phase error. Frequencies of at least 3 h are needed to resolve the tidal signal within the regional model; otherwise, externally applied tides from a database are needed to capture the tidal variability. Spatial resolution of the regional model (3 vs 1 km) does not impact skill of the current prediction. Tidal response of the system indicates excellent representation of the dominant M ₂ tide for water level and currents. Diurnal tides, especially K ₁, are amplified unrealistically with the application of coarse 27-km winds. Higher-resolution winds reduce current forecast error with the exception of wind originating from the SSW, SSE, and E. These winds run shore parallel and are subject to strong interaction with the shoreline that is poorly represented even by the 3-km wind fields. The vertical distribution of currents is also well predicted by the coastal model. Spatial and temporal resolution of the wind forcing including areas close to the shoreline is the most critical component for accurate current forecasts. Additionally, it is demonstrated that wind resolution plays a large role in establishing realistic thermal and density structures in upwelling prone regions.     

Tidal-driven dynamics and mixing processes in a coastal ocean model with wetting and drying

A three-dimensional sigma coordinate numerical model with wetting and drying (WAD) and a Mellor–Yamada turbulence closure scheme has been used in an idealized island configuration to evaluate how tidally driven dynamics and mixing are affected by inundation processes. Comprehensive sensitivity experiments evaluate the influence of various factors, including tidal amplitudes (from 1- to 9-m range), model grid size (from 2 to 16 km), stratification, wind, rotation, and the impact of WAD on the mixing. The dynamics of the system involves tidally driven basin-scale waves (propagating anticlockwise in the northern hemisphere) and coastally trapped waves propagating around the island in an opposite direction. The evolutions of the surface mixed layer (SML) and the bottom boundary layer (BBL) under different forcing have been studied. With small amplitude tides, wind-driven mixing dominates and the thickness of the SML increases with time, while with large-amplitude tides, tidal mixing dominates and the thickness of the BBL increases with time. The inclusion of WAD in the simulations increases bottom stress and impacts the velocities, the coastal waves, and the mixing. However, the impact of WAD is complex and non-linear. For example, WAD reduces near-coast currents during flood but increases currents during ebb as water drains from the island back to the sea. The impacts of WAD, forcing, and model parameters on the dynamics are summarized by an analysis of the vorticity balance for the different sensitivity experiments.     

Review of solutions for 3D hydrodynamic modeling applied to aquaculture in South Pacific atoll lagoons

A workshop organized in French Polynesia in November 2004 allowed reviewing the current methods to model the three-dimensional hydrodynamic circulation in semi-enclosed atoll lagoons for aquaculture applications. Mollusk (e.g. pearl oyster, clam) aquaculture is a major source of income for South Pacific countries such as French Polynesia or Cook Islands. This aquaculture now requires a better understanding of circulation patterns to improve the spatial use of the lagoons, especially to define the best area to set larvae collectors. The pelagic larval duration of the relevant species (<20 days) and the size of the semi-closed lagoons (few hundreds of km2) drive the specifications of the model in terms of the spatial and temporal scale. It is considered that, in contrast with fish, mollusk larvae movements are limited and that their cycle occurs completely in the lagoon, without an oceanic stage. Atolls where aquaculture is productive are generally well-bounded, or semi-closed, without significant large and deep openings to the ocean. Nevertheless part of the lagoon circulation is driven by oceanic water inputs through the rim, ocean swells, tides and winds. Therefore, boundary conditions of the lagoon system are defined by the spatial structure of a very shallow rim (exposition and number of hoas), the deep ocean swell climate, tides and wind regimes. To obtain a realistic 3D numerical model of lagoon circulation with adequate forcing, it is thus necessary to connect in an interdisciplinary way a variety of methods (models, remote sensing and in situ data collection) to accurately represent the different components of the lagoon system and its specific boundary conditions. We review here the current methods and tools used to address these different components for a hypothetical atoll of the Tuamotu Archipelago (French Polynesia), representative of the semi-closed lagoons of the South Pacific Ocean. We hope this paper will serve as a guide for similar studies elsewhere and we provide guidelines in terms of costs for all the different stages involved.     

Sediment transport measurements with tracers in very low‐energy beaches

This study investigates sediment transport at a very low‐energy backbarrier beach in southern Portugal, from a spring‐to‐neap tide period, during fair‐weather conditions. Rates and directions of transport were determined based on the application of fluorescent tracer techniques. Wind and currents were collected locally, whereas the dominant small and short‐period wind waves were characterized using a morphodynamic modelling system coupling a circulation model, a spectral wave model, and a bottom evolution model, well validated over the study area. For the recorded conditions sediment transport was small and ebb oriented, with daily transport rates below 0.02 m³ day^‐1. Tidal currents (mainly ebb velocities) were found to be the main causative forcing controlling sediment displacements. Transport rates were higher during spring tides, tending towards very small values at neap tides. Results herein reported points towards the distinction between tracer advection and tracer dispersion in this type of environment. Transport by advection was low as a consequence of the prevailing hydrodynamic conditions (H_s < 0.1 m, and max. current velocity of 0.5 m s^‐1) and the tracer adjustment to the transport layer, whereas dispersion was relatively high (few metres per day). Tracer techniques allowed distinguishing the broad picture of transport, but revealed the need for refinement in this type of environments (bi‐directional forcing by ebb and flood cycles). Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

全球Schwiderski海潮模型M2分波在中国大陆产生的应变负荷潮

本文利用计算应变负荷潮的积分Green函数方法,计算了全球Schwiderski海潮模型M₂分波在中国大陆产生的应变负荷潮.根据负荷潮的分布特点,中国大陆大致可以分成以东经100°为界的东、西两个区域.在东区,负荷潮主要受太平洋海潮的控制;在西部内陆地区,除太平洋海潮外,它们还明显地受印度洋海潮的影响.根据本文计算结果绘制的M₂分波应变负荷潮在中国大陆的地理分布图,为如何正确考虑M₂分波负荷潮对应变固体潮观测结果的影响提供了重要的参考资料.     

On the sensitivity of the sedimentary system in the East Frisian Wadden Sea to sea-level rise and wave-induced bed shear stress

The paper addresses the individual and collective contribution of different forcing factors (tides, wind waves, and sea-level rise) to the dynamics of sediment in coastal areas. The results are obtained from simulations with the General Estuarine Transport Model coupled with a sediment transport model. The wave-induced bed shear stress is formulated using a simple model based on the concept that the turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) associated with wind waves is a function of orbital velocity, the latter depending on the wave height and water depth. A theory is presented explaining the controls of sediment dynamics by the TKE produced by tides and wind waves. Several scenarios were developed aiming at revealing possible trends resulting from realistic (observed or expected) changes in sea level and wave magnitude. The simulations demonstrate that these changes not only influence the concentration of sediment, which is very sensitive to the magnitude of the external forcing, but also the temporal variability patterns. The joint effect of tides and wave-induced bed shear stress revealed by the comparison between theoretical results and simulations is well pronounced. The intercomparison between different scenarios demonstrates that the spatial patterns of erosion and deposition are very sensitive to the magnitude of wind waves and sea-level rise. Under a changing climate, forcing the horizontal distribution of sediments adjusts mainly through a change in the balance of export and import of sediment from the intertidal basins. The strongest signal associated with this adjustment is simulated North of the barrier islands where the evolution of sedimentation gives an integrated picture of the processes in tidal basins.     

Application of data assimilation for improving forecast of water levels and residual currents in Singapore regional waters

Hydrodynamic models are commonly used for predicting water levels and currents in the deep ocean, ocean margins and shelf seas. Their accuracy is typically limited by factors, such as the complexity of the coastal geometry and bathymetry, plus the uncertainty in the flow forcing (deep ocean tide, winds and pressure). In Southeast Asian waters with its strongly hydrodynamic characteristics, the lack of detailed marine observations (bathymetry and tides) for model validation is an additional factor limiting flow representation. This paper deals with the application of ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF)-based data assimilation with the purpose of improving the deterministic model forecast. The efficacy of the EnKF is analysed via a twin experiment conducted with the 2D barotropic Singapore regional model. The results show that the applied data assimilation can improve the forecasts significantly in this complex flow regime.     

Model of the Long Island Sound outflow: Comparison with year-long HF radar and Doppler current observations

A three-dimensional primitive-equation model is used to simulate the Long Island Sound (LIS) outflow for a 1-year (2001) period. The model domain includes LIS and New York Bight (NYB). Tidal and wind forcing are included, and seasonal salinity and temperature variations are assimilated. The model results are validated with the HF radar, moored acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP), and ferry-based ADCP observations. The agreement between simulated and observed flow patterns generally is very good. The difference in seasonal mean currents between the model and moored ADCP is about 0.01 m/s; the correlation of dominant velocity fluctuations between the model and HF radar is 0.83; and the difference in mean LIS transport between the model and shipboard ADCP is about 5%. However, the model predicts a prominent tidally generated headland eddy not supported by the HF radar observation. The model sensitivity study indicates that the tides, winds, and ambient coastal front all have important impact on the buoyant outflow. The tides and winds cause stronger vertical mixing, which reduces the surface plume strength. The ambient coastal front, on the other hand, tends to enhance the plume.     

Numerical study of circulation and temperature-salinity distributions in the Bras d’Or Lakes

The Bras d’Or Lakes (BdOL) are a large, complex and virtually land-locked estuary in central Cape Breton Island of Nova Scotia and one of Canada’s charismatic ecosystems, sustaining ecological and cultural communities unique in many aspects. The BdOL comprise two major basins, many deep and shallow bays, several narrow channels and straits and a large, geologically complex watershed. Predictive knowledge of the water movement within the estuary is a key requirement for effective management and sustainable development of the BdOL ecosystem. A three-dimensional (3D) primitive-equation ocean circulation model is used to examine the estuary’s response to tides, winds and buoyancy forcing associated with freshwater runoff in a series of numerical experiments validated with empirical data. The model results generate intense, jet-like tidal flows of about 1 m s^?1 in the channels between the basins and connecting them to the ocean and relatively weak tidal currents in other regions, which agrees well with previous observations and numerical results. Wind forcing and buoyancy forcing associated with river runoff play important roles in generating the significant sub-tidal circulations in the estuary, including narrow channels, deep basins and shallow bays. The circulation model is also used to reconstruct the 3D circulation and temperature-salinity distributions in the summer months of 1974, when current and hydrographic measurements were made at several locations. The sub-tidal circulation in the estuary produced by the model is characterised by wind and barometric set-up and set-down in different sections of the system, and a classic two-layer estuarine circulation in which brackish, near-surface waters flow seaward from the estuary into the Atlantic Ocean, and deep salty waters flow landward through the major channel. The model results reproduce reasonably well the overall features of observed circulation and temperature-salinity fields made in the BdOL in 1974 but generally underestimate the observed currents and density stratification. The model discrepancies reflect the use of spatially mean wind forcing and spatially and monthly mean surface heat flux and the inability of the coarse model horizontal resolution (～500 m) to resolve narrow channels and straits.     

Correcting circulation biases in a lower-resolution global general circulation model with data assimilation

In this study, we aim at developing a new method of bias correction using data assimilation. This method is based on the stochastic forcing of a model to correct bias by directly adding an additional source term into the model equations. This method is presented and tested first with a twin experiment on a fully controlled Lorenz ’96 model. It is then applied to the lower-resolution global circulation NEMO-LIM2 model, with both a twin experiment and a real case experiment. Sea surface height observations are used to create a forcing to correct the poorly located and estimated currents. Validation is then performed throughout the use of other variables such as sea surface temperature and salinity. Results show that the method is able to consistently correct part of the model bias. The bias correction term is presented and is consistent with the limitations of the global circulation model causing bias on the oceanic currents.     

Numerical study of seasonal circulation and variability over the inner shelf of the northern South China Sea

This study examines seasonal circulation, hydrography, and associated spatial variability over the inner shelf of the northern South China Sea (NSCS) using a nested-grid coastal ocean circulation model. The model external forcing consists of tides, atmospheric forcing, and open boundary conditions based on the global ocean circulation and hydrography reanalysis produced by the Hybrid Coordinate Ocean model. Five numerical experiments are conducted with different combinations of external forcing functions to examine main physical processes affecting the seasonal circulation in the study region. Model results demonstrate that the monthly mean circulation in the study region features the Guangdong Coastal Current (GCC) over coastal waters and the South China Sea Warm Current (SCSWC) in the offshore deep waters. The GCC produced by the model flows nearly southwestward in winter months and northwestward in summer months, which agrees with previous studies. The SCSWC flows roughly northeastward and is well defined in summer months. In winter months, by comparison, the SCSWC is superseded by the southwestward strong wind-driven currents. Analysis of model results in five different experiments demonstrates that the monthly mean circulation over coastal and inner shelf waters of the NSCS can be approximated by barotropic currents forced by the southwestward monsoon winds in winter months. In summer months, by comparison, the monthly mean circulation in the study region is affected significantly by baroclinic dynamics associated with freshwater runoff from the Pearl River and advection of warm and saline waters carried by the SCSWC over the NSCS.     

A model study of tide- and wind-induced mixing in the Columbia River Estuary and plume

A numerical simulation of circulation in the Columbia River estuary and plume during the summer of 2004 is used to explore the mixing involved as river water is transformed into shelf water. The model is forced with realistic river flow, tides, wind stress, surface heat flux, and ocean boundary conditions. Simulated currents and water properties on the shelf near the mouth are compared with records from three moorings (all in 72 m of water) and five CTD sections. The model is found to have reasonable skill; statistically significant correlations between observed and modeled surface currents, temperature, and salinity are all 0.42–0.72 for the mooring records. Equations for the tidally averaged, volume-integrated mechanical energy budget (kinetic and potential) are derived, with attention to the effects of: (i) Reynolds averaging, (ii) a time varying volume due to the free surface, and (iii) dissipation very close to the bottom. It is found that convergence of tidal pressure work is the most important forcing term in the estuary. In the far field plume (which has a volume 15 times greater than that of the estuary), the net forcing is weaker than that in the estuary, and may be due to either tidal currents or wind stress depending on the time period considered. These forcings lead to irreversible mixing of the stratification (buoyancy flux) that turns river water into shelf water. This occurs in both the plume and estuary, but appears to be more efficient (17% vs. 5%), and somewhat greater (4.2 MW vs. 3.3 MW), in plume vs. estuary. This demonstrates the importance of both wind and tidal forcing to watermass transformation, and the need to consider the estuary and plume as part of a single system.     

Spatial variations of flow structure over estuarine hollows

Observations of the flow field over an elongated hollow (bathymetric depression) in the lower Chesapeake Bay showed tidally asymmetric distributions. Current speed increased over the landward side of the hole during flood tides and decreased in the deepest part of the hollow during ebb tides. A simple conceptual analysis indicated that the presence of a horizontal density gradient can generate the asymmetric spatial variations of flow structure depending on the sign of the horizontal density gradient. When water density decreases downstream, the velocity increases over the downstream edge of the hollow. Conversely when water density increases downstream, the flow decreases over the hollow more than a case without a horizontal density gradient. The conceptual analysis is confirmed by numerical experiments of simplified hollows in steady open channel flows and of an idealized tidal estuary. These hollows also alter the local current field of tidally averaged estuarine exchange flows. The residual depth-averaged currents over a hollow show a two-cell circulation when Coriolis forcing is neglected and an asymmetric two-cell circulation, with a stronger cyclonic eddy, when Coriolis forcing is included.     

Inversion for tides in the Eastern North Pacific Ocean

A regional model of tides in the Eastern North Pacific Ocean is developed through the use of inversion with two-dimensional finite element codes. Since global tide models are least accurate in coastal environments, modeling tides on a regional scale allows tidal propagation and interaction along the coast to be more accurately represented. In this respect, a regional model can act as a liaison between open ocean dynamics and physical processes more pertinent to coastal systems. The region of interest in this study extends from the Aleutian Islands to Southern California and includes deep ocean, continental shelf, and shallow water features. Boundary conditions are determined from nonlinear inversion of harmonic data from both shallow water and deep ocean tide gauges. Spatial patterns of amplitudes and phases from the model are examined for major constituents. Results are also compared to global tide models at selected stations.     

Relative importance of wind and buoyancy forcing for interdecadal regime shifts in the Pacific Ocean

Interdecadal variations in the Northern Hemisphere and the North Pacific have been documented in many studies[1 4]. The connection between the subtropical North Pacific and the tropics is regarded as the most important process triggering and maintaining t…     

An assessment of the mixed layer salinity budget in the tropical Pacific Ocean. Observations and modelling (1990–2009)

This paper investigates mechanisms controlling the mixed-layer salinity (MLS) in the tropical Pacific during 1990–2009. We use monthly 1°?×?1° gridded observations of salinity, horizontal current and fresh water flux, and a validated ocean general circulation model with no direct MLS relaxation in both its full resolution (0.25° and 5 days) and re-sampled as the observation time/space grid resolution. The present study shows that the mean spatial distribution of MLS results from a subtle balance between surface forcing (E???P, evaporation minus precipitation), horizontal advection (at low and high frequencies) and subsurface forcing (entrainment and mixing), all terms being of analogous importance. Large-scale seasonal MLS variability is found mainly in the Intertropical and South Pacific Convergence Zones due to changes in their meridional location (and related heavy P), in the North Equatorial Counter Currents, and partly in the subsurface forcing. Maximum interannual variability is found in the western Pacific warm pool and in both convergence zones, in relation to El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events. In the equatorial band, this later variability is due chiefly to the horizontal advection of low salinity waters from the western to the central-eastern basin during El Niño (and vice versa during La Niña), with contrasted evolution for the Eastern and Central Pacific ENSO types. Our findings reveal that all terms of the MLS equation, including high-frequency (<1 month) salinity advection, have to be considered to close the salinity budget, ruling out the use of MLS (or sea surface salinity) only to directly infer the mean, seasonal and/or interannual fresh water fluxes.