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Tide‐induced residual circulation in a bay with laterally asymmetric depth
Author(s) -
Kim BongGwan,
Cho YangKi
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: oceans
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2169-9291
pISSN - 2169-9275
DOI - 10.1002/2016jc012473
Subject(s) - shoal , bay , geology , residual , advection , current (fluid) , oceanography , clockwise , ocean gyre , sediment , ocean current , geomorphology , geometry , fishery , biology , computer science , thermodynamics , subtropics , physics , rotation (mathematics) , mathematics , algorithm
The tide‐induced residual current is a crucial determinant of the distribution of sediment in a tidally dominated bay. There have been only a few studies of residual currents in bays with laterally asymmetric depth, although the residual circulation in bays with symmetric lateral depth variation has been studied extensively. Gomso Bay is a typical bay with laterally asymmetric depth. The bay is characterized by a deep channel to the north and a wide shoal to the south. This study reports the tide‐induced residual current in Gomso Bay and explains its dynamics using numerical and analytical models. The results from the models are consistent with observations. Residual flows show a clockwise gyre inside the bay and counterclockwise circulation near the mouth. Three physical causes induce residual circulation: (1) bottom friction coupled with a tidal height, (2) advection causing inward residual transport, and (3) a pressure gradient due to a surface slope induced by subtidal flow. The maximum inward residual current is shifted toward the wider shoal. This is caused by across‐channel advection due to the laterally asymmetric depth.