Tidal Inlet Hydraulics

Abstract

The unique physiographic features of tidal inlets make it convenient to treat inlet hydraulics in two parts, one pertaining to the channel through the land barrier, and the other to the near‐field region characterized by ebb and flood circulations beyond the channel. Theoretical formulations for flow description in these regions lead to approximate but useful analytic solutions in simple cases. For detailed hydraulic description, physical and numerical modeling techniques are widely employed. Limitations in predictive capabilities seem to arise mainly from a lack of fuller understánding of hydromechanical processes. Such interactive phenomena as the propagation of the buoyant jet through ambient sea waters during the ebbing phase of tidal flow, and the influence of waves on the tidal flow regime, require considerable additional scrutiny via field investigations. The complex nature of inlet behavior necessitates the collection of site‐specific prototype information as an essential component of hydraulic analysis and interpretation.