Tidal Currents in Douglas Channel, British Columbia: Evaluation and Prediction

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

The authors describe the Douglas Channel system, mainly characterized by semidiurnal and diurnal tides. In Douglas Channel, the tidal range can reach up to 6.5 meters. Semidiurnal tides are the largest in this area, followed by diurnal tides. The authors specifically state that the primary objective of this article is to elucidate the formation of the baroclinic component of the M2 tide, which is influenced by the stratification of the water column in the upper layer. In the lower layer, the energy of the M2 tide is very stable. This situation will raise a challenge to achieve higher precision in ocean model predictions. The author used the least square method, rotary spectra, and variance analysis to analyze three years of ADCP, Aquadopp, tidal, and CTD data. Overall, the manuscript is written logically, well-structured, and scientifically significant. However, it is written in an excessively verbose manner.

General comments: 

1. The manuscript needs to be shorter due to wordy. I suggest the authors reduce some paragraphs to improve the readers' readability. 

2. Moving some figures to the Appendix (e.g., Figures 16 and 17) is recommended. Additionally, it is suggested to shorten some paragraphs in order to avoid repetitive descriptions.

Minor comments:

1. In p15, line 401: Please check the term " 226 and 231 m". I think

          it should be "226 and 331 m".  

     2. In p21, line 529: I cannot find "Figure 11b" in the manuscript. Please check it.

Author Response

Thank you for your useful comments! Our replies are attached.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

This study aims to analyze ocean currents in Douglas Channel by examining the data on current velocities collected along the channel. The findings of the study indicate that the tidal currents in the lower layer are primarily influenced by barotropic motions, making them more predictable. On the other hand, the upper layer is characterized by baroclinic motions, resulting in less predictability. Authors also lay out a methodology that can be utilized by others and applied to other locations.

Manuscript is meticulously structured, allowing for a clear understanding of the research objectives and methodology. It is well-written and very engaging as well. Thus, I do not have any major comments and can recommend it to be accepted as is. 

One minor issue is font size changes along the text at certain parts (e.g., lines 431-439), which needs to be addressed during  editorial editing.

Author Response

Thank you for your kind words and support!

Our replies are attached.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf