On extracting high-frequency tidal variability from HF radar data in the northwestern Bay of Bengal

Abstract

First results from a systematic harmonic analysis of HF radar (HFR) derived ocean surface current observations in the northwestern Bay of Bengal (BoB) during 2010 is presented. The daily-averaged HFR currents compared reasonably well to composite daily surface currents from multiple satellites with correlation coefficient of 0.90 (0.69) for zonal (meridional) component. A set of sequential daily currents demonstrated sustained northward (southward) alongshore flow during February–April (October–December) with peak magnitude of about 1.8 (1.2) m/s. On tidal scales, harmonic analyses of zonal and meridional components at nearshore and offshore locations indicated that among semi-diurnal tidal components, M2 dominates over S2 and N2; time-scales of which were verified from available coastal tide gauges nearby. Amplitudes of semi-major axis for M2 and K1 tidal ellipses are 7.16 (6.13) and 4.02 (3.30) cm/s in nearshore (offshore) location indicating relatively stronger tidal currents in nearshore location. Finally, significant shallow water constituents S4, MS4 and M3 (M4, 2SM6 and M6) at nearshore (offshore) location are identified, which are due to non-linear interaction of tidal currents with bathymetry. Both semi-diurnal and shallow water tidal currents show dominance along isobaths in offshore region, which turn progressively across-isobath as they move nearshore.