The Princeton Ocean Model (p0M) was implemented for the coastal region of Santos (46° - 47°W, 23°40' - 24°30'S), with a regular grid of resolution == 1 km and 11 sigrna levels in the vertical. the model was used in tidal simulations, with the specification of the correspondent oscillations at the boundaries, computed through cotidal maps of the shelf. The model runs considering separately the lunar and solar principal components (M2 and S2), for 5 days each, and the 9 principal tidal constituents composed, for 31 days. The tidal analysis of the resulting time series allowed the obtention of maps with the cotidal lines and the axes of the surface current ellipses. These maps indicate the characteristics of the propagation of the tidal waves in the modeled area, with the spatial distributions of their elevations and currents. The most important aspects discussed in this study are: the contrast of the circulation intensities, between the deeper region and the internal shallow areas; the marked differences of current intensities in both sides of Santos Bay; the currents convergence / divergence in São Vicente and Bertioga Channels; tidal assimetries in the shallow regions; and the counterclockwise rotation of the currents in the coastal area. The model can be used for operational predictions of tides and tidal currents in the study area.
Hydrodynamical nurnerical modelling; Sigrna vertical coordinate; Tides; Tidal currents; Cotidal maps; Current ellipses; Tidal predictions; Coastal region of Santos (SP, Brazil)