Re: [Paddlewise] Tides and Current Speed

From: Dave Kruger <kdruger_at_pacifier.com>
Date: Tue, 27 Oct 2009 21:23:07 -0700
Craig Jungers wrote:

> Does anyone have any links to any data that actually correlates current
> speeds with tidal range in a channel?

No.  Because you also need to consider the momentum associatedof the water 
mass as it moves toward the constriction ... and the bottom topography 
ahead of the constriction.  In short, there are more variables than just 
tidal range, although it is certainly an important one.

Think on how the flow through a shallow, narrow "overflow channel" will be 
massively affected by small changes in the height of a large area of deep 
water adjacent to the channel.  If the channel is the only outlet (simplest 
case; multiple outlets just complicates the math but conceptually is the 
same game), then a small rise in the water level adjacent can give rise to 
a huge current in a short time in the shallow channel.  But, if the 
adjacent body of water is small in area, the same rise in height will 
produce a smaller flow in the channel because a much smaller amount of 
water needs to get through in a given time.

And, variations in channel depth (related to cross section) from location 
to location will also give different currents through the differing 
channels for a given rise in tide.

Places like Nakwakto Rapids are very narrow and adjacent to large bodies of 
water ... and they experience helacious currents for a given rise in tide 
compared to channels not as narrow adjacent to same-area bodies of water.

Nakwakto:
http://www.mobilegeographics.com:81/locations/4028.html

-- 
Dave Kruger
Astoria, OR
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Received on Tue Oct 27 2009 - 21:23:25 PDT

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