Ocean Dynamics

, Volume 61, Issue 11, pp 1845–1868 | Cite as

Far-field effects of tidal energy extraction in the Minas Passage on tidal circulation in the Bay of Fundy and Gulf of Maine using a nested-grid coastal circulation model

  • Daisuke Hasegawa
  • Jinyu Sheng
  • David A. Greenberg
  • Keith R. Thompson
Article
First Online:
Received:
Accepted:
Part of the following topical collections:
  1. Topical Collection on Joint Numerical Sea Modelling Group Workshop 2010

Abstract

The Bay of Fundy in eastern Canada has the highest tides in the world. Harnessing the tidal energy in the region has long been considered. In this study, the effects of tidal in-stream energy extraction in the Minas Passage on the three-dimensional (3D) tidal circulation in the Bay of Fundy (BoF) and the Gulf of Maine (GoM) are examined using a nested-grid coastal ocean circulation model based on the Princeton Ocean Model (POM). The nested-grid model consists of a coarse-resolution (~4.5 km) parent sub-model for the GoM and a high-resolution (~1.5 km) child sub-model for the BoF. The tidal in-stream energy extraction in the model is parameterized in terms of nonlinear Rayleigh friction in the momentum equation. A suite of numerical experiments are conducted to determine the ranges of extractable tidal in-stream energy and resulting effects on the 3D tidal circulation over the Bay of Fundy and the Gulf of Maine (BoF-GoM) in terms of the Rayleigh friction coefficients. The 3D model results suggest that the maximum energy extraction in the Minas Passage increases tidal elevations and tidal currents throughout the GoM and reduces tidal elevations and circulation in the upper BoF, especially in the Minas Basin. The far-field effect of tidal energy extraction in the Passage on the 3D tidal circulation in the BoF-GoM is examined in two cases of harnessing tidal in-stream energy from (a) the entire water column and (b) the lower water column within 20 m above the bottom in the Passage. The 3D model results demonstrate that tidal in-stream energy extraction from the lower water column has less impact on the tidal elevations and circulation in the BoF-GoM than the energy extraction from the whole water column in the Minas Passage.

Keywords

Tidal circulation Bay of Fundy  Gulf of Maine Tidal energy Turbine drag Environmental impact Circulation model  Two-way nesting 
This is a preview of subscription content, log in to check access.

Notes

Acknowledgements

This study is funded by the Offshore Energy and Environmental Research. The authors wish to thank reviewers for their constructive comments and suggestions that helped to strengthen our article, Peter Smith and his group at BIO for sharing their ADCP data, and Richard Karsten, Joel Culina, Keir Colbo, and Kyoko Ohashi for their suggestions. This research utilized ACEnet computational resources.

References

  1. Aretxabaleta AL, McGillicuddy Jr DJ, Smith KW, Lynch DR (2008) Model simulations of the Bay of Fundy Gyre: 1. Climatological results. J Geophys Res 113:C10027. doi: 10.1029/2007JC004480 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  2. Blanchfield J, Garrett C, Wild P, Rowe A (2008a) The extractable power from a channel linking a bay to the open ocean. Proc Inst Mech Eng, A J Power Energy 222:289–297CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  3. Blanchfield J, Garrett C, Rowe A, Wild P (2008b) Tidal stream power resource assessment for Masset Sound, Haida Gwaii. Proc Inst Mech Eng, A J Power Energy 222:485–492CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  4. Blumberg AF, Mellor GL (1983) Diagnostic and prognostic numerical circulation studies of the South Atlantic bight. J Geophys Res 88:4579–4592. doi: 10.1029/JC088iC08p04579 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  5. Chang J (2008) Hydrodynamic modelling and feasibility study of harnessing tidal power at the Bay of Fundy. University of Southern California, USAGoogle Scholar
  6. Chapman DC (1985) Numerical treatment of cross-shelf open boundaries in a barotropic coastal ocean model. J Phys Oceanogr 15:1060–1065CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  7. Davies AM, Flather RA (1978) Computing extreme meteorologically induced currents, with application to the northwest European continental shelf. Cont Shelf Res 7:643–683. doi: 10.1016/0278-4343(87)90010-0 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  8. Debreu L, Blayo E (2008) Two-way embedding algorithms: a review. Ocean Dyn 58(5):1616–7341. doi: 10.1007/s10236-008-0150-9 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  9. Dupont F, Hannah CG, Greenberg D (2005) Modelling the sea level in the upper Bay of Fundy. Atmos Ocean 43:33–47CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  10. Garrett C (1972) Tidal resonance in the Bay of Fundy and Gulf of Maine. Nature 238:441–443. doi: 10.1038/238441a0 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  11. Garrett C, Cummins P (2004) Generating power from tidal currents. J Waterway Port Coast Ocean Eng 130:114–118. doi: 10.1061/(ASCE)0733-950X(2004)130:3(114) CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  12. Greenberg DA (1979) A numerical model investigation of tidal phenomena in the Bay of Fundy and Gulf of Maine. Mar Geod 2:161–187CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  13. Greenberg DA (1983) Modelling the mean barotropic circulation in the Bay of Fundy and Gulf of Maine. J Phys Oceanogr 13:886–906. doi: 10.1175/1520-0485(1983)013<0886:MTMBCI>2.0.CO;2 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  14. Karsten RH, McMillian JM, Lickley MJ (2008) Assessment of tidal current energy in Minas Passage, Bay of Fundy. Proc IMechE, Part A: J Power Energy 222:493–507. doi: 10.1243/09576509JPE555 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  15. Martinho AS, Batteen ML (2006) On reducing the slope parameter in terrain-following numerical ocean models. Ocean Model 13:166–175. doi: 10.1016/j.ocemod.2006.01.003 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  16. Mellor GL, Yamada T (1982) Development of a turbulence closure model for geophysical fluid problems. Rev Geophys Space Phys 20:851–875CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  17. Miyazawa Y, Minato S (2000) Development of a two-way nesting code for the Princeton Ocean Model. JAMSTEC R 40:11–22Google Scholar
  18. Moody JA, Butman B, Beardsley RC, Brown WS, Daifuku P, Irish JD, Mayer DA, Mofield HO, Petrie B, Ramp S, Smith P, Wright WR (1984) Atlas of tidal elevation and current observations on the Northeast American continental shelf and slope. US Geological Survey Bulletin 1611, 122 pGoogle Scholar
  19. Neill SP, Litt EJ, Couch SJ, Davies AG (2009) The impact of tidal stream turbines on large-scale sediment dynamics. Renew Energy 34:2803–2812. doi: 10.1016/j.renene.2009.06.015 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  20. Oey, L.-Y., and P. Chen (1992) A nested-grid ocean model: with application to the simulation of meanders and eddies in the Norwegian coastal current. J Geophys Res 97(C12):20063–20086CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  21. Oey LY (2005) A wetting and drying scheme for POM. Ocean Model 9:133–150. doi: 10.1016/j.ocemod.2004.06.002 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  22. Orlanski I (1976) A simple boundary condition for unbounded hyperbolic flows. J Comput Phys 21:251–269. doi: 10.1016/0021-9991(76)90023-1 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  23. Shan S, Sheng J, Thompson KR, Greenberg DA (2011) Simulating the three-dimensional circulation and hydrography of Halifax Harbour using a multi-nested coastal ocean circulation model. Ocean Dyn 61(7):951–976CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  24. Shapiro GI (2011) Effect of tidal stream power generation on the region-wide circulation in a shallow sea. Ocean Sci 7:165–174. doi: 10.5194/os-7-165-2011 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  25. Sheng J, Greatbatch RJ, Zhai X, Tang L (2005) A new twoway nesting technique for ocean modeling based on the smoothed semi-prognostic method. Ocean Dyn 55:162–177CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  26. Smagorinsky J (1963) General circulation experiments with the primitive equation. I. The basic experiment. Mon Weather Rev 21:99–165CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  27. Sucsy PV, Pearce BR, Panchang VG (1993) Comparison of two- and three-dimensional model simulation of the effect of a tidal barrier on the Gulf of Maine tides. J Phys Oceanogr 23:1231–1248CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  28. Sutherland G, Foreman M, Garrett C (2007) Tidal current energy assessment for Johnstone Strait, Vancouver Island. J Power Energy 221:147–157Google Scholar
  29. Tee KT (1977) Tide-induced residual current erification of a numerical model. J Phys Oceanogr 7:396–402CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  30. Wu Z, Battisti DS, Sarachik ES (2000) Rayleigh friction, Newtonian cooling, and the linear response to steady tropical heating. J Atmos Sci 57:1937–1957CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  31. Yang B, Sheng J (2008) Process study of coastal circulation over the inner Scotian Shelf using a nested-grid ocean circulation model, with a special emphasis on the storm-induced circulation during tropical storm Alberto in 2006. Ocean Dyn 58:375–396. doi: 10.1007/s10236-008-0149-2 CrossRefGoogle Scholar

Copyright information

© Springer-Verlag 2011

Authors and Affiliations

  • Daisuke Hasegawa
    • 1
  • Jinyu Sheng
    • 1
  • David A. Greenberg
    • 2
  • Keith R. Thompson
    • 1
  1. 1.Department of OceanographyDalhousie UniversityHalifaxCanada
  2. 2.Fisheries and Oceans CanadaBedford Institute of OceanographyDartmouthCanada

Personalised recommendations