Analysis of the Characteristics of Tidal Current at Kurushima Strait-Field Observations and Numerical Simulation of 3D-Flow

This study presents the results of analysis of the field observations and the numerical simulation of tidal currents in the Kurushima Strait. The field data measured tidal currents at the two points near the Strait for fifteen days and measured vertical distributions of tidal currents in the west channel of the Strait for 10 hours in one day. The numerical simulation is performed by a multi-level model of tide and tidal currents as horizontal eddy viscosity terms, described with the Smagorinsky's formulas, are incorporated. The specific peculiarities of the complex coastal line and bottom topography of the Strait are taken into account in the model. The tidal current fields are reproduced by the model. Several components of tidal currents and the location of streaks, generated in the Strait, can be predicted by the numerical simulation.