A note on the boundary layer at the floor of a tidal channel

A numerical model is used to study the effect of non-linearities on the dynamics of the boundary layer at the floor of a tidal channel. A feature of the model is the use of a non-linear transfer term to represent the effect of the turbulent stress in the system. Numerical evaluations are made in order to determine whether this term leads to distortions in the current profiles that are comparable with those normally associated with the inertia terms. Comparisons are also made between the predicted current profiles and those obtained from a simple Stokes' “shear-wave” solution.