Examination of circulation, dispersion, and connectivity in Lunenburg Bay of Nova Scotia using a nested-grid circulation model

Abstract

A coastal ocean observatory has been established in Lunenburg Bay, Nova Scotia since summer 2002 as part of a multi-agency research program of marine environmental observation and prediction over Atlantic Canada coastal waters. The observatory was operational when a category-2 hurricane (Juan) made land fall within 50-km of the bay in September 2003. The coastal response of the bay to Hurricane Juan is examined using a nested-grid coastal circulation modelling system. The nested-grid system is forced by the local wind, tides, and remotely generated coastal waves. A comparison of model results with observed surface elevations and currents demonstrates that the nested-grid system has reasonable skills in simulating the three-dimensional (3D) storm-induced circulation in the study region. The 3D model currents are used to examine the transport and dispersion of passive tracers, local flushing time, and retention and connectivity of passive particles in the bay during Hurricane Juan. Numerical results demonstrate that local wind forcing plays a dominant role in generating large dispersion and hydrodynamic connectivity in the bay during the storm.