How the Solent was formed

[wonkywinch]

I found this interesting. Now looking for similar on why the spring flood has a stand, takes longer than the ebb and current turns 1 hour before HW Portsmouth.

 

[Stemar]

I can't answer the first two, but the current turning in the Eastern Solent a couple of hours before HW is because the eastward HW "wave" has got past the IoW before Southampton Water has filled up, so the level around Chichester is above that at Lea on the Solent, so it flows east. My guess is it happens because Hurst is too small to allow enough flow, though heaven knows, it tries hard enough.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

I can't answer the first two, but the current turning in the Eastern Solent a couple of hours before HW is because the eastward HW "wave" has got past the IoW before Southampton Water has filled up, so the level around Chichester is above that at Lea on the Solent, so it flows east. My guess is it happens because Hurst is too small to allow enough flow, though heaven knows, it tries hard enough.

Clearly a part of the reason sailing east on the flood in the western solent is so quick is because you’re sailing downhill

 

[vyv_cox]

Same scenario as Menai Strait. The flood commences from SW, reaching the stretch between the Swellies and the NE end, when the tide that has gone around the outside of Anglesey begins entering the NE end. A slack point between the two gradually moves SW until it reaches the Swellies, when it overwhelms the flow from SW, flow continuing from NE through the ebb until the next flood.