The tidal physics of headland flows and offshore tidal bank formation

The general tidal characteristics in the neighbourhood of a promotory are derived using a numerical model developed in plane polar coordinates. These same tidal features are found for a model of the tides off the Start Point promontory using a Cartesian reference frame. It is shown that promontories are characterised by strong tidal flows and it is suggested that vorticity generated near the headland plays a key role in the dynamics of offshore tidal bank formation.