Numerical modal of the tides in the Gulf of Carpentaria and the Arafura Sea

Abstract

A numerical model of the tides in the Gulf of Carpentaria and the Arafura Sea is described and its results presented. The model is linear. time-independent and uses curved boundaries.

The results show that the diurnal tide has an amphidromic point near the centre of the Gulf of Carpentaria and that the semidiurnal tide has two amphidromic points-one in the north of the Arafura Sea and a second, virtual one, at Mornington Island. The model also shows that both frictional and resonant effects are important in determining the tides of the region.