Severn Bore Information
20 Nov 2011 1 Comment
in Uncategorized Tags: Aristotle, bore, bore-facts, brstol channel, Ch'ient'ang'kian, Environment, Framilode, Gloucestershire, Minsterworth, philosopher, River Severn, severn estury, Stonebench, stourport-bore, surf, tide, wave, what-is-the-bore, you tube
As the tide from the Atlantic enters the Bristol Channel and continues into the Severn Estuary, the volume of water is filtered into a narrow channel which increases the height of the water by anything up to 15 metres. Best Severn Bore viewpoints are at Minsterworth on the west bank, Framilode and Stonebench on the east.
The Severn Estuary experiences the second highest tide anywhere in the world, and the difference between the lowest and highest tide in any one day can be more than 14.5 metres. Severn Bore has been known to reach two metres in height. Its average speed is 16km per hour. The Severn Bore size can be affected by opposing winds or high freshwater levels which reduce its height and delay its arrival. A following wind can increase its height and advance the time it arrives. The horseshoe bend of the river Severn is the largest, most inwardly set, geographical feature of its type in lowland Europe.
Greek legend has it that the philosopher Aristotle died after flinging himself into the sea in frustration at not finding why tides occurred. Folklore has it that those born when the tide is coming in will be lucky in life, but that sick people are more likely to die as the tide ebbs.
In 2010 The largest River Severn bore in eight years had been surging through Gloucestershire. Hundreds of people from across the UK lined the river banks to witness this spectacle. Scores of surfers tried to ride the five-star bore, which was caused by a tidal range of 5.4m (17.7ft) or more, as it headed upstream. The 2010 Severn bore reached 2m (6.5ft) in height. The tidal range is the difference between low and high tide. The Severn Estuary experienced the second highest tide anywhere in the world and the bore’s average speed is 10mph. Bores can range between one star, caused by a tidal range of 4.5m (14.8ft) to 4.6m (15ft), and five-star, caused by a tidal range of 5.4m (17.7ft) and above. In 2010 an Environment Agency spokeswoman said the last five-star Severn bore on record was in March 2002.
Enviroment Agy Details For Severn Bore
Feb 23, 2012 @ 01:44:57
Details are …well.. not wrong, but you’ve mixed up two sources of information. How do I know? You’ve quoted the Environment Agency and they always seem to quote figures for the Trent Aegir and the Severn Bore on the same pages of their website. The Trent is the one which typically has 5+ metres on a 5 star tide. For the Severn a tide has to be 10.5 metres when measured at Sharpness to be 5 star. Average speed of the bore around Newnham is approx 4-5 knots, but this can increase as the river narrows up towards Maisemore to speeds sometimes exceeding 15 knots. Highest recorded SUSTAINED wave on the Severn was at Hemsted in the mid 70′s when it held a measured height of +/- 2.8 metres (around 9 ft) for a mile. It can exceed this height for brief moments on lesser tides.