Tidal Pattern at Rocas Alijos

Abstract

Current reversals are not common in the open ocean, but they are common in shallow waters when the currents are generated primarily by the ebb and flow of the tides. In the case of a local obstacle such as Rocas Alijos, the complexity of the flow raises the possibility of current reversals. Such dynamics would be of interest both to hydrodynamicists and to biologists, since the distribution of biota would be expected to depend strongly on the dominant flow patterns.