Turning the tide: experimental formation of dynamic tidal basin morphology

Abstract

Tidal channel networks, estuaries and ebb deltas usually formed over a period longer than observations cover. Much is known about their characteristics and formation from linear stability analyses, numerical modelling and field observations. However, experiments are rare whilst these provide data-rich descriptions of their evolution in fully controlled boundary and initial conditions. Our objective is to ascertain whether tidal basins can be formed in experiments, what possible scale effects are, and whether morphological equilibrium of such systems exist.