Abstract
A homogeneous shallow-water model with free surface is used to model the tidal circulation in the Persian Gulf. The numerical finite-difference model includes harmonic diffusion of horizontal momentum and quadratic bottom friction, it has a 9 km mesh size and it is forced by 7 tidal components at its southern boundary. High precision bathymetric data are used to obtain the bottom topography. The numerical model is run for more than a year. The results are the following: 1) The model accurately reproduces the tidal phase and amplitude observed at 42 tidal gauges in the region. This accuracy is attributed to the presence of the 7 components which are able to interact nonlinearly; 2) The amphidromic points are also well positioned by the model due to a proper choice of bathymetry. This was checked also with a simpler geometry of the domain; 3) The tidal currents can be strong in the Straits of Hormuz and in shallow areas; thus they will have an effect of the hydrology of the region. The residual currents are weak so that they will be negligible for the large-scale circulation on long periods; 4) Finally, the sea-surface elevation forecast by the model is in close agreement with in-situ measurements of pressure in the Straits, performed during the GOGP99 experiment.
Highlights
The Persian Gulf is a Northwest to Southeast oriented basin, with length of about 1000 km, maximum width of 350 km, average depth of 40 m and maximum depth of 120 m at the Straits of Hormuz; the straits open on the Gulf of Oman
High evaporation over the Persian Gulf leads to the formation of salty waters, called the Persian Gulf Water, which are exported into the Gulf of Oman, and which are compensated by an inflow of fresher Indian Ocean Surface Water
We apply a 2D shallow water model over the Persian Gulf and the Northwestern Indian Ocean, forced by 7 tidal components at the southern boundary, and we describe the resulting tidal elevations and velocities; we compare the model results with 42 tidal gauges recordings and with data from moorings of the GOGP99 experiment at sea, in the Straits of Hormuz
Summary
To cite this version: Stéphane Pous, Xavier J. A Process Study of the Tidal Circulation in the Persian Gulf. Open Journal of Marine Science, Scientific Research Publishing, 2012, 2, pp.131-140 10.4236/ojms.2012.24016. HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access archive for the deposit and dissemination of scientific research documents, whether they are published or not. The documents may come from teaching and research institutions in France or abroad, or from public or private research centers. L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires publics ou privés.
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