Hydrodynamic modeling of coastal seas: the role of tidal dynamics in the Messina Strait, Western Mediterranean Sea

This work explored the importance of considering tidal dynamics when modeling the general circulation in the Messina Strait, a narrow passage connecting the Tyrrhenian and the Ionian Sea sub-basins in the Western Mediterranean Sea. The tides and the induced water circulation in this Strait are among the most intense oceanographic processes in the Mediterranean Sea. The quantification of these effects can be particularly relevant for operational oceanographic systems aimed to provide short term predictions of the main hydrodynamics in the Western Mediterranean sub-basins. A numerical approach based on the use of a high resolution hydrodynamic model was adopted to firstly reproduce both the tides propagation and the wind induced and thermohaline water circulation within the Strait and surrounding areas and secondly to quantify the role of the Strait dynamics on the larger-scale water circulation. The obtained results confirmed the importance of a correct representation of the hydrodynamics in the Messina Strait even when focusing on predicting the water circulation in the external sea traits. In fact, model results show that tidal dynamics deeply impact the reproduction of the instantaneous and residual circulation pattern, waters thermohaline properties and transport dynamics both inside the Messina Strait and in the surrounding coastal and open waters.