Tidal Constituents in the Persian Gulf, Gulf of Oman and Arabian Sea: a Numerical Study

Abstract

In this study, a three-dimensional coastal ocean model (FVCOM) is used in barotropic mode to simulate tidal amplitudes in the Persian Gulf, Gulf of Oman and Arabian Sea. Finite volume method is applied for solving hydrodynamic equations on an unstructured triangular mesh grid. Amplitudes and phases of 8 main tidal constituents are prescribed along the southern open-ocean boundary. To assess the model performance, the model results were compared with observational evidences. Amplitudes of tidal components observed at 9 tidal gauges in the region confirm the results of harmonic analysis performed on model outputs. Hence, it can be concluded that the amplitudes of 8 tidal components are well predicted by the model. Moreover, amphidromic points are accurately predicted from model results for these components. Also M₂ and K₁ are determined respectively as major semi-diurnal and diurnal constituents in entire domain. Finally, the tidal regime is classified by employing the form factor F in this area.