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Anomalous results for tidal flow through the Pentland Firth

Nature volume 278, pages 541–542 (1979)Cite this article

Abstract

THE flow of water across the vertical component of the Earth's magnetic field induces a potential gradient in the water; measurements of the difference in voltage between the opposite sides of a tidal channel provide an indication of the magnitude of the tidal flow. Longuet–Higgins1 derived the relationship between the potential gradient and the tidal flow for the case of uniform flow in a channel of semi-elliptic cross-section. By recording the difference in potential between the ends of submarine telephone cables valuable measurements have been obtained of flow through the Dover Strait2,3 and through various channels in the Irish Sea4,5. However, recent cable measurements for tidal flow through the Pentland Firth are shown here to include anomalous results.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. NERC, Institute of Oceanographic Sciences, Bidston Observatory, Merseyside, UK

    D. PRANDLE

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  1. D. PRANDLE
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PRANDLE, D. Anomalous results for tidal flow through the Pentland Firth. Nature 278, 541–542 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1038/278541a0

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