Abstract
A tidal bore is a series of waves propagating upstream as the tidal flow turns to rising. It forms during the spring tide conditions when the tidal range exceeds 5–6 m and the flood tide is confined to a narrow funnelled estuary with low freshwater levels. A tidal bore is associated with a massive mixing of the estuarine waters that stirs the organic matter and creates some rich fishing grounds. Its occurrence is essential to many ecological processes and the survival of unique eco-systems. The tidal bore is also an integral part of the cultural heritage in many regions: the Qiantang River bore in China, the Severn River bore in UK, the Dordogne River in France. In this contribution, the environmental, ecological and cultural impacts of tidal bores are reviewed, explained and discussed.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Barré de Saint Venant AJC (1871) Théorie et Equations Générales du Mouvement Non Permanent des Eaux Courantes (Theory and general equations of unsteady open channel flow motion). Comptes Rendus des séances de l’Académie des Sciences, Paris, France, Séance 17 July 1871, vol 73, pp 147–154 (in French)
Bazin H (1865) Recherches Expérimentales sur la Propagation des Ondes (Experimental research on wave propagation). Mémoires présentés par divers savants à l’Académie des Sciences, Paris, France, vol 19, pp 495–644 (in French)
Benjamin TB, Lighthill MJ (1954) On cnoidal waves and bores. Proc R Soc Lond A Math Phys Sci 224(1159): 448–460
Branner JC (1885) The pororoca, or bore, of the Amazon. Rand Avery & Co, Boston, USA, pp 3–12 (Also 1903, List of Publications by Members of the Department of Geology, Stanford University, USA)
Boussinesq JV (1877) Essai sur la Théorie des Eaux Courantes (Essay on the theory of water flow). Mémoires présentés par divers savants à l’Académie des Sciences, Paris, France, vol 23, Série 3, No. 1, supplément 24, pp 1–680 (in French)
Butcher JG (2004) The closing of the frontier. A history of the marine fisheries of southeast Asia c. 1850–2000. A modern economic history of southeast Asia series, KITLV Press, Leiden, The Netherlands, 442 pp
Chanson H (2004) Environmental hydraulics of open channel flows. Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford, UK, p 483 pp
Chanson H (2008) Photographic observations of tidal bores (Mascarets) in France. Hydraulic model report no. CH71/08, Division of Civil Engineering, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia, 104 pp, 1 movie, 2 audio files
Chanson H (2009) Current knowledge in hydraulic jumps and related phenomena a survey of experimental results. Eur J Mech B/Fluid 28(2): 191–210. doi:10.1016/j.euromechflu.2008.06.004
Chanson H (2009) An experimental study of tidal bore propagation: the impact of bridge piers and channel constriction. Hydraulic model report no. CH74/08, School of Civil Engineering, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia, 109 pp, 5 movies
Chanson H (2009) Environmental, ecological and cultural impacts of tidal bores, benaks, bonos and burros. In: Lopez-Jimenez PA, Fuertes-Miquel VS, Iglesias-Rey PL, Lopez-Patino G, Martinez-Solano FJ, Palau-Salvador (eds) Proceedings of international workshop on environmental hydraulics IWEH09, theoretical, experimental and computational solutions, Valencia, Spain, 29–30 October. Invited keynote lecture, 20 pp, CD-ROM
Chanson H (2009) The rumble sound generated by a tidal bore event in the Baie du Mont Saint Michel. J Acoust Soc Am 125(6): 3561–3568. doi:10.1121/1.3124781
Chen S (2003) Tidal bore in the north branch of the Changjiang estuary. Proceedings of international conference on estuaries and coasts ICEC-2003, Hangzhou, China, 8–11 November, vol 1. International Research Training Center on Erosion and Sedimentation, China, pp 233–239
Chen J, Liu C, Zhang C, Walker HJ (1990) Geomorphological development and sedimentation in Qiantang estuary and Hangzhou bay. J Coastal Res 6(3): 559–572
Clancy EP (1968) The tides pulses of the earth. Anchor Books, NY, USA, p 228 pp
Coates R (2007) The genealogy of eagre ‘tidal surge in the river trent’. Eng Lang Linguist 11(3): 507–523
Colas A (2007) Chine. Le Mascaret Record (China. The tidal bore record. Surf Session 248:5 (in French)
Dai Z, Zhou C (1987) The Qiantang bore. Int J Sediment Res 1: 21–26
Dally WR (2001) Maximum speed of surfers. J Coastal Res 29(Special issue): 33–40
Davies C (1988) Tidal river bores. Dissertation in partial fulfilment of BA degree, Department of Geography, Edge Hill College, University of Lancaster, UK
Donnelly C, Chanson H (2005) Environmental impact of undular tidal bores in tropical rivers. Environ Fluid Mech 5(5): 481–494. doi:10.1007/s10652-005-0711-0
Fenton JD (1979) A high-order Cnoidal wave theory. J Fluid Mech 94(Part I): 129–161
Fenton JD (1998) The Cnoidal theory of water waves. In: Herbich JB (eds) Developments in offshore engineering: wave phenomena and offshore topics. Handbook of coastal and ocean engineering. Gulf Professional Publishing, Houston, USA
Furuyama S, Chanson H (2008) A numerical study of open channel flow hydrodynamics and turbulence of the tidal bore and dam-break flows. Hydraulic model report no. CH66/08, Division of Civil Engineering The University of Queensland Brisbane, Australia, 88 pp
Gordon JH (1924) Tidal bore at mouth of Colorado River. December 8–10, 1923. Month Weather Rev 52: 98–99
Greb SF, Archer AW (2007) Soft-sediment deformation produced by tides in a Meizoseismic area, Turnagain Arm, Alaska. Geology 35(5): 435–438
Henderson FM (1966) Open channel flow. MacMillan Company, NY, USA
Hornung HG, Killen P (1976) A Stationary oblique breaking wave for laboratory testing of surfboards. J Fluid Mech 78(3): 459–480 4 plates
Hornung HG, Willert C, Turner S (1995) The flow field downsteam of a hydraulic jump. J Fluid Mech 287: 299–316
Hutt JA, Black KP, Mead ST (2001) Classification of surf breaks in relation to surfing skill. J Coastal Res 29(Special issue): 66–81
Ippen AT, Harleman RF (1956) Verification of theory for oblique standing waves. Trans ASCE 121: 678–694
Kjerfve B, Ferreira HO (1993) Tidal bores: first ever measurements. Ciência e Cultura (J Brazil Assoc Adv Sci) 45(2): 135–138
Koch C, Chanson H (2008) Turbulent mixing beneath an undular bore front. J Coastal Res 24(4): 999–1007. doi:10.2112/06-0688.1
Koch C, Chanson H (2009) Turbulence measurements in positive surges and bores. J Hydraul Res IAHR 47(1): 29–40. doi:10.3826/jhr.2009.2954
Le Méhauté B, Divoky D, Lin A (1968) Shallow water waves: a comparison of theories and experiments. Proceedings od 11th international conference on coastal engineering, London, UK, vol I. ASCE Publications, VA, USA, pp 86–107
Lewis AW (1972) Field studies of a tidal bore in the River Dee. MSc thesis, Marine Science Laboratories, University College of North Wales, Bangor, UK
Lighthill J (1978) Waves in fluids. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, p 504 pp
Liggett JA (1994) Fluid mechanics. McGraw-Hill, NY, USA
Locke A, Hanson JM, Klassen GJ, Richardson SM, Aube CI (2003) The damming of the petiticodiac river: species, populations, and habitats lost. Northeast Nat 10(1): 39–54
Lubin P, Glockner S, Chanson H (2010) Numerical simulation of a weak breaking tidal bore. Mech Res Commun 37. doi:10.1016/j.mechrescom.2009.09.008 (in Press)
Mason T, Priestley D, Reeve DE (2007) Monitoring near-shore shingle transport under waves using a passive acoustic technique. J Acoust Soc Am 122(2): 737–746
Molchan-Douthit, M (1998) Alaska bore tales. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Anchorage, USA, revised, 2 pp
Montes JS (1998) Hydraulics of open channel flow. ASCE Press, NY, USA, p 697 pp
Moul AC (1923) The bore on the Chien-Tang river in China. Toung Pao, Archives pour servir à l’étude de l’histoire, des langues, la geographie et l’ethnographie de l’Asie Orientale, vol 22. Chine, Japon, Corée, Indo-Chine, Asie Centrale et Malaisie, pp 10–28
Murphy D (1983) Pororoca! Calypso log. Cousteau Society, FL, vol 10, no 2, pp 8–11
Open University Course Team (1999) Waves, tides and shallow-water processes, 2n edn. Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford, UK, 227 pp
Peregrine DH (1966) Calculations of the development of an undular bore. J Fluid Mech 25: 321–330
Ponsy J, Carbonnell M (1966) Etude Photogrammétrique d’Intumescences dans le Canal de l’Usine d’Oraison, Basses-Alpes. (Photogrammetric study of positive surges in the oraison powerplant Canal). J SocFrançaise de Photogram 22: 18–28
Prosperetti A (1988) Bubble-related ambient noise in the ocean. J Acoust Soc Am 84(3): 1042–1054
Rayleigh L (1908) Note on tidal bores. Proc R Soc Lond A 81(541): 448–449
Rowbotham F (1983) The severn bore, 3rd edn. David and Charles, Newton Abbot, UK, 104 pp
Simpson JH, Fisher NR, Wiles P (2004) Reynolds stress and TKE production in an estuary with a tidal bore. Estuar Coastal Shelf Sci 60(4): 619–627
Sykes G (1937) The Colorado delta Carnegie Institution of Washington, Publ no 460, Baltimore, USA, 193 pp, 1 map
Tessier B, Terwindt JHJ (1994) An example of soft-sediment deformations in an intertidal environment—the effect of a tidal bore. Comptes-Rendus de l’Académie des Sciences, Série II, vol 319, No 2, Part 2, pp 217–233 (in French).
Thorne PD (1986) Laboratory and marine measurements on the acoustic detection of sediment transport. J Acoust Soc Am 80(3): 899–910
Wiegel RL (1960) A presentation of Cnoidal wave theory for practical application. J Fluid Mech 7(2): 273–286
Wolanski E, Moore K, Spagnol S, D’Adamo N, Pattiertchi C (2001) Rapid, human-induced siltation of the Macro-Tidal Ord River Estuary, Western Australia. Estuar Coast Shelf Sci 53: 717–732
Wolanski E, Williams D, Spagnol S, Chanson H (2004) Undular tidal bore dynamics in the Daly estuary, Northern Australia. Estuar Coastal Shelf Sci 60(4): 629–636. doi:10.1016/j.ecss.2004.03.001
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Chanson, H. Current knowledge in tidal bores and their environmental, ecological and cultural impacts. Environ Fluid Mech 11, 77–98 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10652-009-9160-5
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10652-009-9160-5