On the highest tides, a most unusual sight occurs in the Mersey Estuary: a tidal bore travelling upstream from Widnes and Runcorn to Warrington. Although on a smaller scale than the better-known Severn Bore, it is still a great example of this natural phenomenon, and one of only about twenty that occur in the UK. What to see The tidal bore forms when water levels rise so quickly that a wave forms as the tide comes in, meeting the river flow. At its best, it reaches heights of 60cm or more, accompanied by the sound of rushing water and waterbirds startled into flight from the sands Continue Reading
The spring equinox and the seasons
With spring just around the corner, it’s interesting to ask how the seasons and the spring equinox are defined. However, the answer isn’t straightforward and depends on who is asking the question. Meteorologists and climate scientists use perhaps the simplest approach, defining each season as lasting three months, with spring lasting from March to May in the northern Hemisphere. Summer is then from June to August, Autumn from September to November, and Winter from December to February in the following year. This means that each season begins and ends on the same date every year and has Continue Reading
