Mapping tidal residual circulations in the outer Xiangshan Bay using a numerical model

•Mapped the spatial pattern of tidal residual circulations in the outer Xiangshan Bay•Clarified the distinction in transport of LRV and ERV in an actual bay case•Illustrated the superiority of LRV in keeping the mass conservation

Xiangshan Bay, which is elongated and semi-enclosed, is characterized by strong tides. The original understanding of the tidal residual circulation in the bay was based on the Eulerian time-mean method. However, it has been theoretically proved that the Lagrangian time-mean method rather than the Eulerian one should be employed to detide. This knowledge motivated us to remap the tidal residual circulation in the bay. A three-dimensional numerical model with a Lagrangian particle-tracking module was used to simulate tides, from which the Lagrangian and Eulerian tidal residual circulations were produced. The Lagrangian residual circulation exhibited a two-branch pattern that connected the southern and northern outer seas of Xiangshan Bay, whereas the Eulerian residual circulation was characterized by eddies that are not favorable for water exchange. Through comparing to the observed salinity distribution, the Lagrangian residual current presented a reasonable spatial pattern which could explain the inter-tidal mass transport. Furthermore, the Lagrangian residual current performed better in sustaining the mass conservation as predicted by theory. A series of sensitivity experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of nonlinear mechanisms on the Lagrangian residual circulation. The results showed that nonlinear advection is dominant while the time-varying width and depth play a minor role, and the quadratic bottom friction has no influence with only M2 tide driving the model.