Question about the flow dynamics of the tidal Thames

[T & P]

This is just out of sheer curiosity, but I've always wondered what distance is travelled by each leg of a tidal cycle on the Thames.

In other words, if I were to drop a wine cork into the river at, say, Waterloo Bridge at the peak of the high tide, how far downstream would it travel before the tide changed, and how far would it come back upstream? And how long would it take overall to make it to the open sea? I've done a few searches but could not find a website that offered such info.

 

[gosub]

Peak High tide current is about 6 knots, - 2 at low. slack water lasts about 30 mins as do the peaks. Most the rest of the time about 4 knots. That's main channel, slower towards banks, Wind will also effect your results

 

[friendofdorothy]

This is just out of sheer curiosity, but I've always wondered what distance is travelled by each leg of a tidal cycle on the Thames.

In other words, if I were to drop a wine cork into the river at, say, Waterloo Bridge at the peak of the high tide, how far downstream would it travel before the tide changed, and how far would it come back upstream? And how long would it take overall to make it to the open sea? I've done a few searches but could not find a website that offered such info.

I don't approve of dropping litter in the river.

 

[Puddy_Tat]

there are also other factors including management of weirs / drain outfalls and the thames barrier

 

[hash tag]

The rise and fall, ebb and flow of the Thames changes accorning to the time of the year, the pull of the moon Etc. With spring tides, there are occasions in the Battersea area when the towpath is breached.

Looking at extreemes, did you not see Coast, Australia on the BEEB?
The Horizontal Falls in Kimberley has a massive fall and rise, approx. 10 metres, which is helped, or not, by lots of narrow coastal gorges
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horizontal_Falls.

On the other hand in Maderia, you hardly notice a rise and fall between high and low tide.