Author(s): Yit-Haw Toi; Hubert Chanson
Linked Author(s): Hubert Chanson
Keywords: Breaking tidal bores; Field data; Froude similitude; Physical modelling; Unsteady turbulent mixing
Abstract: When a river mouth has a funneled shape with a tidal range exceeding 4 to 6 m, the river may experience a tidal bore, that is a series of waves propagating upstream as the tidal flow turns to rising. Recent studies demonstrated the significant impact of tidal bores on the environmental system and the ecology of the estuarine zone. Herein the unsteady turbulent mixing induced by a breaking tidal bore was documented based upon new physical experiments. Detailed free-surface and velocity measurements were performed with a high-temporal temporal resolution. The physical results were compared systematically with a recent field data set (Mouaze et al. 2010). The propagation of breaking tidal bores was associated with a sharp free-surface discontinuity at the bore front, followed by some transient recirculation next to the bed. A key finding was the close agreement in terms of dimensionless free-surface and velocity data between laboratory and field observations.
Year: 2013