Study of the Tide and Tidal Currents in the Bay of Bengal Based on Refined Simulations.

Wan, W.; Feng, X.; Liu, Q.; Yin, B.; Yang, D., and Gao, G., 2019. Study of the tide and tidal currents in the Bay of Bengal based on refined simulations. Journal of Coastal Research, 35(1), 33–40. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. A high-resolution, two-dimensional, hydrodynamic tidal model of the Bay of Bengal was developed using the Advanced Circulation (ADCIRC) Model to study the tide and tidal currents in the Bay of Bengal. The simulations conformed to the observations, and because of the use of a high-resolution, triangular grid, characteristics of the tide and tidal currents were computed more accurately than in previous studies. The results indicated that tides in most of the Bay of Bengal are semidiurnal, whereas those in the seas SE of Sri Lanka are mixed and predominately semidiurnal. There are two degenerate amphidromic points, one at the NE end of the head of the bay and the other at SE Sri Lanka, whereas there is an amphidromic point at the seas SE of Sri Lanka. The form of the M2 tidal current is rotary on the continental shelf and rectilinear in coastal areas and seas distant from the continental shelf. Four major tidal currents are in a NW–SE direction, in the western part of the head of the bay, and in a NE–SW direction in river estuary areas. Results from the eastern part are the opposite. The amplitudes and major axes of four tides and tidal currents increase upon entering the head of the bay, whereas those of the M2 tide are the largest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]