TIDES IN HOOGHLY RIVER

Abstract

Summary The Hooghly is a tidal river and Calcutta one of the most important ports of India is situated on it. The tidal effect stretches to over 175 miles length up to Nabadwip where two nonperennial rivers Bhagirathi and Jalangi, both taking off at different sites from the Gangesmeet and discharge their rain water (freshets) into the Hoogly all through the summer months. Other rivers join it also downstream. Annual tide tables are published for three places on the river viz Sagar, Diamond Harbour and Garden Reach. In this paper lunitidal intervals, durations of rise and fall, mean high water, mean low water, mean tide level and mean sea level planes and mean ranges have been shown to go through periodic seasonal changes. It has been shown that different tidal planes have changed differently in the intrior of the river indicating changes in tidal regimes and in the river bed. Whereas variations in yearly sea levels since 1882 have not been appreciable at Sagar, these at Garden Reach have changed considerable at indicating sometimes an improvement in the channel, other times worsening of the channel. Four 19 yearly cycles of mean sea-level at Garden Reach have been analysed to give phaselags different from Zero and large variations in amplitudes. To carry this study further one period of 19 years each for Sagar, Madras and Vishakhapatnam on East Coast and 4 periods each for Bombay and Aden in the Arabian Sea have also been analysed to see the possibility of nodal variations being constant in amplitude and phase over large areas of the ocean. 19-yearly cycles in the differences between MTL & MSL have been examined for Bombay, Madras and Garden Reach. The effects of freshets on various planes have been analysed and the curves of annual freshets and MTLs at Garden Reach are found to run closely parallel. The variations in yearly high water and law water planes above MTLs of the corresponding years after corrections for the longitude of the moons' node have been found to be inappreciable. Theoretical extreme high water and low water planes have been found to be more extreme than actually recorded planes which are very near M.H.W.S. and M.L.W.S. planes indicating there are no predominant effects of winds and storms on the tides in the river. The mean ranges at Garden Reach have been found to be steadily increasing. Theoretical effects of increase in range and lowering of MSL on MHW and MLW plane has been found to agree with actual values. Monthly average temperatures and salinities show distinct annual cycles. High temperatures occur at the same times as low salinities and high mean sea levels. Vertical density structure may be responsible for a large part of annual variation in the sea level at Sagar which is a region of particular interest on account of opposite influences of seasonal monsoons, drainage of rivers and oceanic currents. Seasonal variations in average monthly pressure have been related to variations in mean sea levels and it is found that as the pressures decrease, the height of MSL increases. Tide in Hooghly has been found to be progressive type of wave. Rates of travel of tidal streams outside Sagar and rates of streams in the river have been given also, stating the effects of freshets on tidal streams. Bores in Hooghly have been examined. Shapes of tidal curves and profile of the bore at Garden Reach have been drawn. Rates of propagation of the bore from Doodsons' formulae have been compared with actual values and a remarkable agreement has been found. The rise of tide in 10 minutes and 30 minutes which is the time taken for the steep rise to disappear has been correlated with range of tide and a useful table has been included. Tides in Hooghly are predicted by applying harmonic shallow water corrections to open sea primary predictions at Sagar. As the freshets are unpredictable an approximate relationship has been worked out between the departures of actual freshets from num freshets of the years of analyses and departures of actual from predicted tides. From a knowledge of actual freshets the predictions can be corrected almost, daily. A large number of tables and only the essential graphs have been included to illustrate the contents.