Numerical Study on Tide and Tidal Current along Bali Strait, Indonesia using Finite Volume Coastal Ocean Model (FVCOM)

Abstract

A numerical study was carried out in Bali Strait, Indonesia. Finite Volume Coastal Ocean Model (FVCOM) was used to simulate the seawater circulation in Bali Strait. The water circulations were forced by the four major tidal components (<i>S</i>₂, <i>M</i>₂, <i>K</i>₁, and <i>O</i>₁). Comparisons of the seawater surface elevation obtained from both modeling and observations show a good result. The tide in Bali Strait is a mixed tide type with two different tidal ranges in one day. The seawater circulation moves from the Indian Ocean to the Bali Sea through narrow strait during the flood tide and then rush back during the ebb tide. In the spring tide, an eddy is also observed on the top of the narrow strait. The simulations show that the flows by tides along the sudden change of the cross-sectional width can be modeled by the finite volume method based model.