Comparison of observed and computed m₂ and k₁ tidal heights in the Northwest passage

Abstract

This article compares observed and computed elevations for the principal semidiurnal and diurnal tides, M₂ and K₁ in the Northwest Passage, the main east‐west channel through the Canadian archipelago. The official geographical name for this waterway is Parry Channel, although certain stretches of the passage are given individual names as shown in Figure 1. In fact, the western end of the passage, M'Clure Strait, is normally unnavigable due to ice, and the Peel Sound‐Franklin Strait‐Larsen Sound system is more important for access to the Beaufort Sea. Parry Channel is generally well over 200 m deep except in Barrow Strait where depths range from 130 to 170 m. Most of the side channels are also fairly deep. In the area discussed here, the water depths are sufficiently great to eliminate the likelihood of variations in ice cover having any significant effect on the phases and amplitudes of the barotropic tide.