THE INVESTIUATION OF THE PRINCIPAL .\'EMI-IJIURNAL LUNAR TIDE AND TIDAL CURRENT IN THE UULF OF SUEZ I USING A TWO DIMENSIONAL NUMERICAL AJODEL.

THE INVESTIUATION OF THE PRINCIPAL .\’EMI-IJIURNAL

LUNAR TIDE AND TIDAL CURRENT IN THE UULF OF SUEZ
I
USING A TWO DIMENSIONAL NUMERICAL AJODEL.
By
G.F. SOLIMAN” AND II.A. ANWAR
“National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, Anfoushi,
Alexandria, Egypt.
Key Words: Physical Oceanography, Tidal Currents, Gulf of Suez, Red Sea.
ABSTRACT
Ihe 71vo-dimensional hydl’Odynamical model (?f Hansen type 0956, 1(62)
that developed by Soliman et al 09(3) has been modtfied to be applicable/or
shallow water reghms. 111e modtfied model was used to investigate the
principal semi-diumallullar tide in the Gu!f qfSuez. Grid .~ystems (?f dtfferent
grid dimemions have been considered. Ihe influence a/friction, boundaries,
Coriolis force and islands barriers 0/1 the motion, }I’ere examined. The
co-ranges, co-tidal lines and tidal currents, were presented. A rotating tidal
11/0tion exists in the Gu(f as a degenerated amphidromy with a nodal point
located on the western side (?f the Gu(f in the vicinity (?f Ras Gharib.•Strong
currents, with .~peed.~· (?f more than ../0. () CI1//sec, were traced in the area
extended betHJeen Ras-Bakr and Ras Shukier, while relatively strong currents
(!fspeed more than 30.0 em/sec, werefOll11d near Ashrc!fi. The co-ranges when
lIeglectil1g the il!f7l1ence (?f the potel1tialfol’ces, are ill good agreement with
observations. Rotational motions (eddie.~) occllrred at dtfferent locations
dllring the transient 11/0tion, each has a cyclic or anticychc character. Ihe
cllrrent ellipses are vel)! clear in the sOllthern part (?f the gulfwith sig11tfica11t
mi110r to major ratio which indicate the presence (?f transverse motion in that
regiol1. 17,e tidal current pal/ems could be used to predict the total current.