The use of handheld GPS to determine tidal slack in estuaries

The phase lag between the moment of high water and high water slack, respectively low water and low water slack, is a key parameter in tidal hydraulics which is often disregarded. Savenije (1992) found that there are simple analytical relations for estuary topography, wave celerity and phase lag, that can be derived from the equation for conservation of mass and momentum. At present, methods to determine the phase lag by measuring the moment of tidal slack in the field are often either inadequate or very expensive. To be sure if assumptions made for the analytical derivation are acceptable, measuring the ‘real’ moment of tidal slack in the field is necessary. The method to determine the exact moment of tidal slack, developed in this work, is based on the use of a simple handheld GPS at some locations in the Dutch part of the Scheldt estuary. The GPS device is attached to a shipping lane buoy, which is fixed to the bottom of the estuary with a long chain. The chain gives the buoy enough space for an amplitude of approximately 25 - 30 meters. The GPS device measures the location of the buoy every 30 seconds for a few days. The data from the GPS results in a nice view of the path that the buoy travelled. The moment that the buoy switches direction, should be the moment of tidal slack. The “GPS method” of measuring the phase lag would allow application on full estuary scale in the future. Besides that, we get more insight in the key parameter of slack times for tidal hydraulics. The results are also of key importance to commercial shipping, towage and salvage companies and other users of estuaries worldwide.