tidal constituents

Hydraulic circulation of the tides in Lac Bay, Bonaire.

In Lac Bay, Bonaire, a part of the mangrove forest is dying partly because of reduced water circulation through the forest. Tidal waves are the main drivers of the water circulation in the forest. In this study, the tidal behaviour is analysed based on water depth measurements from earlier studies in 2012 in Lac Bay. Time series are used to determine the tidal range (difference between minimum and maximum water depth), the dominant tidal constituent (harmonic analysis) and the water circulation through the forest (difference between the timing of highest water depth). The results show that locations close to open water in the bay have on average a large tidal range (27.8-28.1 cm) than locations in the forest (3.4-8.1 cm), with limited to no seasonal fluctuations. The dominant tide in Lac Bay is the lunisolar diurnal constituent (K1). Water depth changes from stations close to open water could be explained reasonably but in other locations they were distorted by the forest and could not be fully explained. It was found that the water moves slowly through the forest in a circular manner, moving around the islands and through the forest, thereby creating a delay in high water depths up to five-and-a-half hours.

 

Key words: Mangroves; Lac Bay; Water depths; Tidal range; Dominant tide; Tidal constituents

Date
2022
Data type
Scientific article
Theme
Research and monitoring
Geographic location
Bonaire
Author