Vertical two-dimensional mechanism of tidal exchange in a bay with a sill-entrance

For a vertical two-dimensional field with a sill at a bay entrance, the tidal exchange mechanism is discussed.The schematic model is proposed as follows. The tidal trapping effect which is detected at the entrance section,i. e., the material transport due to the phase difference between the tidal periodic constituent of material concentration and tidal current at the entrance section, results because the oscillatory tidal flow at the sill entrance induces a gravitational flow along the sill slope inside the entrance. Accordingly, the tidal trapping effect depends largely upon the difference in water density between the bay and open sea and the density stratification in the bay.This model is supported by the observations at Kabira Cove (Okinawa Pref.) and Lake Hamana (Shizuoka Pref.) in 1976 through 1984. In addition, based on this model, in the case of Lake Hamana, the activity of the tidal exchange is inferred to change seasonally.