A Multi-frame Analysis of Flow Reversal in Tidal Bore
Abstract
A tidal bore is a nonlinear step like surge propagating on the top of a river counter-current. The scientific literature reports that the passage of the tidal front may induce local flow reversals and, in some cases, a global reversal of the river current. Here, combining Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) measurements and 2D numerical simulations based on a Weakly Compressible Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (WCSPH) method, we show that the flow classification of tidal bores must explicitly take into account the frame of reference. When the river flow does not reverse after the bore passing, this is a consequence of the perspective imposed by the background current (itself resulting from the previous tide and the natural river discharge toward the sea). Depending on the relative magnitudes of the river current and the velocity field induced by the bore, one may observe a global reversal, a local reversal (or both), or no reversal at all. When the tide is spatially inhomogeneous, with a tidal range that varies along the estuary rather than a simple step in water depth, transitions between bore types may occur during the bore passing.
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BibTeX
@article{belemkadem2026multiframe,
title = {{A Multi-frame Analysis of Flow Reversal in Tidal Bore}},
author = {Assia Belemkadem and Johan Fourdrinoy and Anthony Beaudoin and Germain Rousseaux},
journal = {Physics of Fluids},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.1063/5.0338838},
eprint = {2610.18913},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05701341v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - A Multi-frame Analysis of Flow Reversal in Tidal Bore
AU - Assia Belemkadem
AU - Johan Fourdrinoy
AU - Anthony Beaudoin
AU - Germain Rousseaux
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/29
JO - Physics of Fluids
DO - 10.1063/5.0338838
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05701341v1
AB - A tidal bore is a nonlinear step like surge propagating on the top of a river counter-current. The scientific literature reports that the passage of the tidal front may induce local flow reversals and, in some cases, a global reversal of the river current. Here, combining Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) measurements and 2D numerical simulations based on a Weakly Compressible Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (WCSPH) method, we show that the flow classification of tidal bores must explicitly take into account the frame of reference. When the river flow does not reverse after the bore passing, this is a consequence of the perspective imposed by the background current (itself resulting from the previous tide and the natural river discharge toward the sea). Depending on the relative magnitudes of the river current and the velocity field induced by the bore, one may observe a global reversal, a local reversal (or both), or no reversal at all. When the tide is spatially inhomogeneous, with a tidal range that varies along the estuary rather than a simple step in water depth, transitions between bore types may occur during the bore passing.
SN - 1070-6631
SN - 1089-7666
ER -