Tidal currents in the Yucatan Channel

Abstract

Currents data from a ten-month period at 197 measuring points covering all Yucatan Channel were processed by harmonic analysis to estimate tidal parameters for the O1, K1, M2 and S2 components. The highly detailed coverage confirms the known dominance for the O1, and K1 diurnal components, but also showed, for the first time, their intensification in the deep eastern margin of the channel where maximum amplitudes in main axis are 17 and 19 cm·s-1. The data also confirms weak semi-diurnal components, of which the most intense, M2 and S2, have amplitudes only up to 2 cm·s-1. The tidal ellipses were elongated (i.e. with eccentricities close to one) in the NNW direction. The O1, K1, M2 and S2 contributions in transport variability through the channel have amplitudes of 11.7, 12.5, 1.2 and 1.0 Sv, all well determined above noise.