The Flow of Water through the Menai Straits

Abstract

Observations of the flow of water through the Menai Straits by various methods have all indicated a residual transport of water towards the south‐west during a semi‐diurnal tidal period. Estimates of the magnitude of this transport indicate that it is of the order of 30 million m3 during one semi‐diurnal tidal period, corresponding to an average residual velocity of approximately 15 cm/s to the south‐west. Possible causes of this residual flow are considered, and it is shown that the computed tidal flow in a short channel connecting two basins with the same mean water level but different tidal ranges and phases and in which the tidal heights follow precise sine curves may exhibit similar features, when a friction term is included in the equation of motion, to those observed in the Menai Straits. Copyright © 1968, Wiley Blackwell. All rights reserved