Hydrodynamical model estimates of the M2 and K1 currents of the Gulf of Mexico

The purpose of this part of the Gulf of Mexico Dumpsite Studies is to provide information on the semi-diurnal and diurnal tidal currents (represented by the M2 and K1 constituents) in waters off the continental shelf of the northwestern Gulf of Mexico - in particular at the Western Dumpsite A. In order to accomplish this task it is necessary to take the whole of the Gulf of Mexico into account, and in so doing one obtains the distribution of the amplitudes and phases of both tide heights and currents throughout the Gulf - the results of this study should therefore aid planners in assessing the tidal currents at any potential future deepwater dumpsite. The reader is cautioned that the following report is in no manner an attempt at a definitive study of the tides of the Gulf of Mexico; this is precluded both by the scope of the project (which necessitated the neglect of direct astronomical forcing effects), and by the scarcity of data in the region of the two entrances of the Gulf.