Three-dimensional hydrostatic modeling of a bay coastal area

This article describes the development of a three-dimensional (3D) multilayer hydrostatic model of tidal motions in the Ariake Sea and its application. The governing equations were derived from 3D Navier-Stokes equations and were solved using the fractional step method, which combines the finite difference method in the horizontal plane and the finite element method in the vertical plane. This study introduced a 3D, time-dependent, hydrostatic, tidal current model that can compute wetting and drying in tidal flats due to tidal motion. The 3D model was first tested against analytical solutions for three standard cases in a rectangular basin in order to investigate the performance of the model. Then, the model was applied to Saigo fishery port and the Ariake Sea. For standard cases, the numerical solutions were almost identical to the analytical solutions. Finally, the model results for Saigo port and the Ariake Sea show good agreement with the field observations.