The Current Characteristics in the Central Area of Liaodong Bay Based on Synchronous Observations and Numerical Simulation

The harmonic analysis method is used to analyze the tidal current characteristics of three stations in the middle of Liaodong Bay, and the synchronous measured current data of the Bohai Sea are compared with the current data of the numerical simulation for 41 days from April 13 to May 23, 2021. The results show that the preferential current direction in the observed area is northeast to southwest, showing the characteristics of reciprocating current, and the maximum velocity is about 1.0 m/s during the observation period. The tidal current belongs to the regular semi-diurnal tidal current, and the dominant tidal current is M₂ tidal component, with the maximum ranging from 38.9 cm/s to 53.4 cm/s. The current direction corresponding to the maximum velocity of M₂ is consistent from surface to bottom. Compared with the numerical simulation results, it is found that the numerical model has a acceptable simulation in this observed area, and the overall trend of the simulated current component is consistent with the observation. The simulation deviation of the maximum current velocity averaged by the whole profiles is less than 0.1 m/s, and the simulation deviation of the preferential current direction is less than 15°. The numerical model products are expected to be used as a reference for offshore operations and engineering.