Modelling the Vertical Structure of Tidal Currents and Temperature of the North Sea

An array of one-dimensional models has been used to simulate the vertical structure of tidal currents and temperature of the North Sea with a 37 km (20 nautical mile) grid. The model, which is based on the Mellor and Yamada (1974) Level 2 turbulence closure scheme, includes meteorological fluxes at the surface and tidal stirring at the bottom. Depth-varying tidal currents were predicted using pressure forces derived from a depth-averaged tidal model. The model was driven using meteorological fluxes supplied by an atmospheric forecasting model and the results compared with CTD measurements collected during 1989.