Tides and tidal currents along the Okhotsk coast of Hokkaido

The development and propagation of the diurnal tidal currents along the Okhotsk coast of Hokkaido is made clear using newly obtained data. the diurnal currents are generated at the Soya Strait by the difference of the tidal amplitude and phase between the Sea of Okhotsk and the Japan Sea, and propagate as the shelf waves trapped along the coast. As a result, the amplitude in the coast becomes small and the phase is advanced for 1∼2 hours compared to those in the offshore area. For the semidiurnal tides, the influence of the difference of the tides between both seas is restricted near the strait because they are quickly dispersed as the Poincaré wave.