Word of the Day
Eddy (ED-ee)
Common clue: Whirlpool
In fluid dynamics, an eddy is the swirling of a fluid and the reverse current (water) created when the fluid flows past an obstacle. The moving fluid creates a space devoid of downstream-flowing water on the downstream side of the object. Fluid behind the obstacle flows into the void creating a swirl of fluid on each edge of the obstacle, followed by a short reverse flow of fluid behind the obstacle flowing upstream, toward the back of the obstacle. This phenomenon is most visible behind large emergent rocks in swift-flowing rivers.
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html). It uses material from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddy
Used
with permission: Watts Hudgens
Kayaker Watts Hudgens discusses the Chattooga River:
I'll never forget my first visit to this rapid and my good buddy Kenny Turnbull flipped his canoe on the river left line and then disappeared under his boat as it pinned on the large boulder near the bottom...he washed out moments later, but he carried a black/purple/blue and brown/green/yeller bruise on his thigh for the next two weeks. In general I will either go straight through the river right line all the way to the bottom, or I'll catch a nice eddy on river right just below the horizon line. This is another rapid that's easier at higher water, but the real key to this one is the proper anticipation of the diagonally-flowing current just upstream of the horizon.
[Source: http://webs.wofford.edu/hudgensjw/chattooga.html]
|
|