Application of Finite-Volume Coastal Ocean Model in Studying Strong Tidal Currents in Discovery Passage, British Columbia, Canada

The unstructured-grid, Finite-Volume Coastal Ocean Model (FVCOM) was used to simulate the flows in Discovery Passage, British Columbia, Canada. Challenges in this numerical study include the strong tidal currents in Seymour Narrows of up to 7.8 m s-1, small-scale topographic features, and freshwater discharge and stratification. Tidal forcing, freshwater input, the Coriolis effect, and wet and dry regions were considered. The model was integrated for 16 days and model results of the last 14 days were examined. The model was validated using available historical measurements at different sites in Discovery Passage, including water surface elevation and ocean current data, as well as CTD-bottle profile data. Model results are also compared with the recent numerical studies by Jiang and Fissel (2007) and by Foreman et al. (2012). Model results demonstrated that the unstructured-grid model generated reasonable maps of the very strong currents in tidal channels, with the advantage of high adaptability in resolving the complex geometry of the narrow channels as seen in Discovery Passage. Effects of stratification and freshwater discharge from Campbell River during the study period were investigated.