A laterally integrated numerical model has been developed for the study of stratified circulation in inlets. The model is time dependent and includes advective terms, horizontal and vertical turbulent diffusion of momentum and salt, and variations in width and depth. Initial and boundary conditions based on winter measurements in Burrard Inlet and Indian Arm were used to study the inlet's response to tidal forcing. The friction term was tuned to match calculated and observed dissipation rates. Evidence for a standing wave pattern in the response of the M2 and K1 tidal constituents is discussed. A comparison of model results with cyclesonde current meter time series at two locations in Indian Arm is consistent with resonance. A modal decomposition of the calculated response shows that most of the energy is contained in the barotropic and first baroclinic modes, with the former dominating near the sill and the later dominating in the deep basin. Second-mode energy was significant for the K1 at some locations. ¿ American Geophysical Union 1987