Numerical modelling of barotropic tidal dynamics in the strait of Messina

A two-dimensional model for simulation of the intensive tidal dynamics in the Strait of Messina is presented. An initial boundary-value problem for the viscous shallow-water equations in the complex domain representing the Strait is transformed to the boundary-fitted curvilinear coordinates mapping the domain onto a rectangle with two opposite open boundaries. The transformed equations in the form of contravariant fluxes are integrated by the semi-implicit difference method. The results of computation include tidal maps of the M2- and M4-waves, currents induced by the M2-tide and the sum of the main harmonics, a tidal energetic balance, main eddies, and residual circulation.