THREE-DIMENSIONAL HYDRODYNAMICS SIMULATION OF MANILA BAY

Abstract: To reconstruct a complex circulation of Manila Bay, the study utilized a three-dimensional turbulent flow model. The model took into account effects from various external governing factors including tide, river discharge, solar radiation, and wind. The mathematical model was calibrated with field survey data obtained in 2001. The simulated bay current pattern showed a clear combination between barotropic flow driven by ocean tide and baroclinic flow from stratified system inside the bay. The temporal analysis showed strong linkage between bay’s hydrodynamics and semi-diurnal tidal component. The study conducted a lot of sensitivity tests to quantify the magnitude and how each governing factors contribute to the overall bay circulation. Results suggested that the strong stratification inside the bay was mainly created by freshwater loads from rivers. The wind stresses appeared to response for the near-surface freshwater distribution, discharged from the surrounded rivers.