Skip to main content
Log in

Development of a high-resolution coastal circulation model for the ocean observatory in lunenburg bay

  • Research Papers
  • Published:
Journal of Ocean University of China Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

An advanced ocean observatory has been established in Lunenburg Bay of Nova Scotia, Canada as part of an interdisciplinary research project of marine environmental prediction. The development of a high-resolution coastal circulation model is one of important components of the observatory. The model horizontal resolution is 60 m and the vertical resolution is about lm. The coastal circulation model is used to simulate the semi-diurnal tidal circulation and associated nonlinear dynamics with the M2 forcing specified at the model open boundaries. The model is also used to simulate the storm-induced circulation in the bay during Hurricane Juan in September 2003, with the model forcing to be the combination of tides and remotely generated waves specified at the model open boundaries and wind stress applied at the sea surface. The model results demonstrate strong interactions between the local wind stress, tidal forcing, and remotely generated waves during this period. Comparison of model results with the surface elevation and current observations demonstrates that the coastal circulation model has reasonable skills in simulating the tidal and storm-induced circulation in the bay.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Csanady, G. T., 1982. Circulation in the Coastal Ocean. Reidel Publishing Company, Dordrecht, Holland, 279 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Davies, A. M., and R. A. Flather, 1978. Computing extreme meteorologically induced currents, with application to the northwest European continental shelf. Continental Shelf Res., 7: 643–683.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Davies, A.M., S.C.M. Kwong, and R.A. Flather, 1998. A three-dimensional model of wind-driven circulation on the shelf: application to the storm of January 1993. Continental Shelf Res., 18: 289–340.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jahnke, R., L. Atkinson, J. Barth, F. Chavez, K. Daly, et al., 2002. Coastal ocean processes and observatories: advancing coastal research. Skidaway Institute of Oceanography Technical Report, TR-02-01.

  • Large, W.G., and S. Pond, 1981. Open ocean momentum flux measurements in moderate to strong winds. J. Phys. Oceanogr., 11: 324–336.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Levinson, D.H., and A.M. Waple, 2004. State of the climate in 2003. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 85, doi: 10.1175/BAMS-85-6-Levinson, s1–72.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lu, Y., K.R. Thompson, and D.G. Wright, 2001. Tidal currents and mixing in the Gulf of St. Lawrence: an application of the incremental approach to data assimilation. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci., 58: 723–735.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sheng, J., and L. Wang, 2004. Numerical study of tidal circulation and nonlinear dynamics in Lunenburg Bay, Nova Scotia. J. Geophys. Res., 109, C10018, doi: 10. 1029/2004JC002404.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sheng, J., D.G. Wright, R.J. Greatbatch, and D.E. Dietrich, 1998. CANDIE: A new version of the DieCAST ocean circulation model. J. Atmos. and Ocean. Tech., 15: 1414–1432.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smagorinsky, J., 1963. General circulation experiments with the primitive equation. I. The basic experiment. Monthly Weather Review, 21: 99–165.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thompson, K. R., D. E. Kelley, D. Sturley, B. Topliss, and R. Leal, 1998. Nearshore circulation and synthetic aperture radar: an exploratory study. Int. J. Remote Sensing, 19: 1161–1178.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thuburn, J., 1996. Multidimensional flux-limited advection schemes. J. Comput. Phys., 123: 74–83.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Wang, L., Sheng, J. Development of a high-resolution coastal circulation model for the ocean observatory in lunenburg bay. J Ocean Univ. China 4, 349–356 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11802-005-0056-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11802-005-0056-9

Key Words

Navigation