Abstract
The steep slope of the bathymetry and topography that surrounds Palu Bay is a unique morphology of the area that affects the currents. A simulation was carried out in three regions with seven scenarios to understand the effect of wind, tide, and discharge on currents. The results showed that the average current pattern in Palu Bay is more dominantly influenced by tides at the open boundary and in the middle of the bay, steered by wind directions. The velocity decreases when it reaches the end of the bay and eventually reverses back to the mouth of the bay through both sides of the bay. The current in the Palu River estuary with a discharge of 36 m3/s moves out of the river mouth. On the other hand, results with a discharge of 2 m3/s revealed that the tidal current in the middle layer to the lower layer moves in the opposite direction to the current generated by the discharge in the layer above. It means that the tidal current velocity is lower than that generated by the river discharge. The computation revealed a good agreement with observed current velocity at the selected observation points.
Highlights
Palu Bay is located on the west coast of Sulawesi Island, which is in the province of Central Sulawesi, Indonesia
River depth obtained from the Public Works office of Palu City and bathymetry obtained from the Hydrographic and Oceanographic Center, Indonesian Navy (PUSHIDROSAL) were used at the bottom boundary by interpolating the contours on the sea map and the sketch of a cross section of the river
The river discharge has not been included in this model because the width of the Palu river which empties into the Palu Bay is very small compared to the size of the Palu Bay
Summary
Palu Bay is located on the west coast of Sulawesi Island, which is in the province of Central Sulawesi, Indonesia (see Figure 1). The bay is a shipping lane, where there are several ports that play a role in reviving and developing the regional economic sector. The capital of Central Sulawesi Province is Palu City [1]. The southern part of the bay is an estuary [2], and the surrounding area is a popular tourist attraction and commercial (e.g., malls and restaurants) [3] spot
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