Three-dimensional coastal ocean circulation model on the flushing of Tampa Bay, August-December 2001

A high-resolution, three-dimensional coastal ocean circulation model is used to estimate the bulk residence time distributions for the entirety of Tampa Bay and for five of its sub-regions using an Eulerian passive tracer technique.With a resolution as high as 20 m, the model domain includes all of the important mass conveyances by the channels and inlets, plus the impediments to flow by bridge causeways and natural constrictions.