Numerical simulations characterize ‘matrix tides’ and other complex wave patterns seen in Qiantang River

During 2024, onlookers observed a startling sight on China’s Qiantang River: waves forming a grid-like pattern. Dubbed the “matrix tide,” this complex wave pattern was caused by the river’s famed tidal bores that surge upstream against the current. Specifically, two shockwave-like tidal bores, known as undular bores, spread along two different directions like ripples on a pond and collided with each other.

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