The effect of barriers on the tidal range in estuaries

Numerical simulations of the shallow-water equations are used to study the effect of topographic barriers on the tidal range in estuaries. The results show that the nonlinear advection terms in the momentum equations play very little role, and that the interaction between the tide and the topographic barriers is mostly due to friction. The simulations employ a quadratic bottom friction law, in which the usual drag coefficient is enhanced to parameterize the energy loss due to the generation of small-scale waves.