Model simulations of the tides in the Barents Sea

Abstract

A large‐scale numerical model covering the Nordic Seas and the Arctic Ocean with 25–12.5‐km grid resolution has been applied to study the tides in the Barents Sea. Tidal charts for elevation and phase are presented for the four tidal constituents M 2 S 2 , N 2 , and K 1 . Computed harmonic constants for elevation and current have been compared with observations from 46 coastal and pelagic tidal stations. The agreement between model and field data is good for most stations with an overall standard deviation of ±2–5 cm for amplitude, ±18°–30° for phase, and ±1–3 cm/s for current speed. Calculated tidal residual currents show anticyclonic eddy circulation over the Svalbard Bank and around Bear Island and Hopen. Particle trajectories and streaklines due to the tidal flow over Svalbardbanken have been calculated, and the computed streaklines are found to agree well with observed rifts in the ice cover due to stranded icebergs.