The role of tidal forcing in the Gulf of Alaska's circulation

Abstract

High resolution (7 km) numerical simulations of the Gulf of Alaska circulation show an indirect effect induced by tidal forcing. Tides stir the water column more vigorously in the coastal ocean than in the Gulf's interior, leading to denser waters there than offshore. This horizontal gradient induces a geostrophic current that, in general and in most regions, flows against the mean general circulation. Copyright 2008 by the American Geophysical Union.