A modeling study on tides in the Port of Vancouver

Abstract

In the present paper, tides in the port of Vancouver Harbour have been investigated with a high-resolution three-dimensional hydrodynamic model based on FVCOM (Finite Volume Community Ocean Model). The model was evaluated against field observations including tidal elevations and tidal currents, and the evaluation showed that the model was in good agreement with the observational data. Using the model, we first investigated the horizontal distributions of tides, tidal currents, and tidally induced residual circulation, and then investigated the tidal asymmetry and dynamic mechanisms of tidal flows in the harbour. The tidal residual circulation shows a strong spatial pattern, which is associated with the local coastlines and variation of topography. The tidal asymmetry in the harbour is caused by different mechanisms, not only including the traditional factors, such as residual flows, the interaction between M2 and its overtide M4, but also the interaction of principal astronomical tides of O1, K1, and M2. The momentum balance is dominated by terms of the advection and the pressure gradient in First Narrows and Second Narrows, whereas terms of the local acceleration and the Coriolis are also important in the central harbour. The spatial variations of the momentum terms are strongly associated with the local changes in coastline and topography.

Seabed disturbance and sediment mobility due to tidal current and waves on the continental shelves of Canada

“…Foreman et al (2012) investigated the tidal circulation in the Discovery Island region of British Columbia. Using FVCOM, two regional tidal models were developed in the Hecate Strait (Wu et al, 2017) and the Vancouver Harbor (Wu et al, 2019), respectively. In the Canadian Arctic Archipelago (CAA) and Baffin Bay, Guo et al (2020) reported the use of a tidal model for the summer season.…”

Coastal environmental changes under increasing anthropogenic impacts: an introduction

“…Tidal waves are obviously deformed when prograding into Vancouver Harbour due to highly rugged coastline and bathymetry. Using a higher resolution model based on FVCOM (finite volume community ocean model) with a flexible triangle mesh system, Wu et al (2019) investigated tidal processes in the harbor. The modeled tidal amplitude and current matched very well with the observed data.…”

A Modeling Study on the Oil Spill of M/V Marathassa in Vancouver Harbour

“…FVCOM allows the use of different resolutions to fit complex coastline and topography by using the triangle mesh system. The model used in the present study was based on the model set up by Wu et al [26]. The model was capable of achieving relatively high resolution in the region of interest (English Bay and Vancouver Harbour in this case), as shown in Figure 3.…”

“…The vertical grid has twenty-one sigma levels that were stretched gradually, in order to gain higher resolution in the surface and bottom layers. More detailed information of the model can be found in Wu et al [26]. [8].…”

“…The overall validation of the model has been done in Wu et al [26] using tidal gauge water elevations and the ship-mounted Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) current data. Here, we further evaluate the model using surface drifter data, which were obtained from two Surface Current Tracker drifters (SCT).…”