Circulation Induced by Tidal Jets

Abstract

Steady potential motion induced by a tidal jet in an ebbing ocean is analyzed by representing the jet as a distribution of sink singularities and relating the sink strength to jet solutions for steady bottom‐frictional turbulent jets over constant bathymetry. Circulation patterns are determined for various inlet configurations of practical interest and for different values of the bottom friction parameter. Particular attention is given to the jet induced alongshore current which is shown to be sensitive to the presence of jetties and also to the bottom friction experienced by the jet. The present theory is applied to Fort Pierce Inlet, Florida, where severe erosion is known to exist on both sides of the inlet. It is suggested that the alongshore current, albeit small in magnitude, is a potential contributor to the movement of suspended beach material toward the inlet due to its continual occurrence during every ebb tide.