Three-Dimensional Modeling of Tidal Circulation in Bay of Fundy

Abstract

A three-dimensional (3D) hydrodynamic model application to the Bay of Fundy was performed using a boundary-fitted coordinate hydrodynamic model. Because the Saint John River and Harbour area were of interest for this study, a very fine grid with a resolution range of 50–100 m was used in the Saint John Harbour region, while a grid resolution of about 2–3 km was used in the Bay of Fundy. The model forcing functions consist of tidal elevations along the open boundary and fresh water flows from the Saint John River. The model-predicted surface elevation compares well with the observed surface elevation at Saint John and the root mean square error in the model-predicted surface elevation for a 60-day period is found to be 4%. The amplitudes and phases of the major tidal constituents at 24 tidal stations, obtained from a harmonic analysis of a 60-day simulation, compares well with the observed data obtained from Canadian Hydrographic Survey. The predicted harmonic amplitudes and phases of the M2 tidal constituent are, respectively, within 20 cm and 7° of the observed data. The counterclockwise gyre observed in the body of Bay of Fundy is reproduced in the model.