Sea-level fluctuations in the fleet, an English tidal lagoon

Abstract

Tidal elevation data are presented for places along the length of the Fleet, which is a tidal lagoon behind Chesil Beach on the south coast of England. Harmonic analysis of the data is not able to represent the observations adequately, particularly at the inner end of the lagoon. However, careful inspection of the data shows that the tidal regime is capable of being understood in terms of the non-linear propagation of long waves in very shallow water. Distortion of the tidal wave by unequal progression speeds of high and low water, and the set-up of mean level by frictional effects, are shown to be the important physical mechanisms controlling the observed water level fluctuations. A one-dimensional numerical model which incorporates these processes is able to reproduce the observations satisfactorily. Whilst the model predicts strong effects of wind stress, the meteorological influences in the observed data appear to be largely due to external surges in the English Channel which propagate into the lagoon through its entrance.