The semi-diurnal tide in Hudson Strait as a resonant channel oscillation

• Main Authors: Cummins, Patrick, Karsten, Richard, Arbic, Brian K.
• Other Authors: Geological Sciences, Department of, Ann Arbor
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2010
• Subjects: Tides; Resonance; Geological Sciences; Science; Hudson Bay; Hudson; Hudson Strait; Ungava Bay
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/2027.42/84334

Tidal studies have shown that there exists a resonance of the semi-diurnal tide in the Hudson Bay-Hudson Strait system. The resonant response is particularly strong within Hudson Strait and Ungava Bay. It is shown here that the semi-diurnal tide in Hudson Strait has characteristics that are similar to those of a half-wavelength open channel resonance. A simple analytical model is developed to account for the salient aspects of the semi-diurnal response in the strait. Non-dimensional parameters that govern the response are identified and evaluated based on the physical dimensions of the region and results from a numerical tidal model. Taking account of the mechanical impedance presented to the channel by Hudson Bay, the results suggest that a channel mode is resonant near semi-diurnal periodicities, in general agreement with observations and more complex tidal models of the region. The possibility that Ungava Bay may have a separate quarter-wavelength resonance driven at the entrance to the continental shelf is also briefly explored. Peer Reviewed http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/84334/1/ao_channelresonance.pdf