Abstract
The water exchange between the sea and a lagoon or bay through an inlet due to tides is a classical topic that has been investigated in a large number of studies (Keulegan, 1967; O’Brien and Dean, 1972; O’Brien and Clark, 1974; Escoffier, 1977). In this paper, a simple semi-analytic model of the flow induced by tides through an inlet connecting the sea to a lagoon or bay is developed. The model is employed to derive explicit expressions for key parameters associated with inlet flows such as bay water level amplitude, tidal prism, maximum inlet velocity, and mixing (retention) time. Also, the inlet flow model is combined with a sediment transport model to determine the conditions for equilibrium as well as the evolution of the inlet cross-sectional area towards equilibrium or closure.
Highlights
The water exchange between the sea and a lagoon or bay through an inlet due to tides is a classical topic that has been investigated in a large number of studies (Keulegan, 1967; O’Brien and Dean, 1972; O’Brien and Clark, 1974; Escoffier, 1977)
Assuming B to be a sinusoidal at quasi-steady conditions with a certain amplitude reduction and phase shift compared to o, the following approximate solution to Eq 1 may be derived, aB ao where aB and ao are the amplitudes in the ocean and bay, respectively, K (= AI 2gaoT / (AB 2 ao K I ), where T is the period of the tide) the repletion coefficient (Keulegan, 1967), and CM an empirical fitting parameter
CONCLUDING REMARKS The semi-analytic model developed in this study reproduces several of the main features expected with regard to tidal inlet hydraulics and morphological evolution. The model made it possible to investigate the fundamental behavior of an inlet, yielding analytic expressions in non-dimensional form for key parameters such as bay amplitude, maximum and mean inlet velocity, tidal prism, and retention time
Summary
The water exchange between the sea and a lagoon or bay through an inlet due to tides is a classical topic that has been investigated in a large number of studies (Keulegan, 1967; O’Brien and Dean, 1972; O’Brien and Clark, 1974; Escoffier, 1977). SELECTED RESULTS Fig. 1 illustrates how well the semi-analytic model (Eq 2) reproduces the exact solution to Eq 1 in terms of bay amplitude and mean velocity. Assuming B to be a sinusoidal at quasi-steady conditions with a certain amplitude reduction and phase shift compared to o, the following approximate solution to Eq 1 may be derived, aB ao where aB and ao are the amplitudes in the ocean and bay, respectively, K (= AI 2gaoT / (AB 2 ao K I ) , where T is the period of the tide) the repletion coefficient (Keulegan, 1967), and CM an empirical fitting parameter.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 
Published Version (
Free)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call