A two-dimensional numerical model of the tidal motions in the Bohai sea

Abstract

The motions of diurnal, semidiurnal, and shallow-water tides and tidal current in the Bohai Sea are computed using a finite-difference method based on two-dimensional tidal wave equations. Good agreement of the computed results with the observed data is achieved for diurnal and semidiurnal tides. The general pattern of the computed quarterdiurnal tide conforms to the observed pattern, but the computed amplitudes are on the high side. This is attributed to the ineligibility of the friction terms in the two-dimensional governing equations to dissipate the energy of high frequency tidal waves. It is found that the existing semidiurnal cotidal charts have considerable differences in Laizhou Bay. The difference is likely caused by the movement of the coastline of the Yellow River Delta. The present result coincides with the recent empirical cotidal chart. The computation shows a new current-amphidromic point for both semidiurnal and durnal tidal currents. The diurnal current has two current-amphidromic points in the Bohai Sea with co-phase lines progressing clockwise round these points. The semi-diurnal current has also two current-amphidromic points with co-phase lines progressing counterclockwise. The distributions of tide-induced residual elevation and currents are illustrated, and the tidal energy fluxes are computed.