Inertial gravity currents released from a lock in frames under horizontal oscillations: Analytical model

We consider the flow of a gravity current released from a lock inside a tank which performs horizontal oscillations (equivalent to internal pressure-gradient pulses), in the buoyancy–inertia (high-Reynolds-number) regime. We develop a shallow-water model which provides clear-cut insights and simple predictions of the propagation, height and velocity fields as a function of time, for a wide range of parameters. Comparisons with the simulations of Bingol et al. (2025 J. Fluid. Mech. , vol. 1002, A14) support the approximate analysis. Moreover, we point out a new effect, called pulse-buoyancy, which was not covered by these simulation. The clear-cut predictions of the model are amenable to straightforward experimental verification, and suggest further numerical work for an as yet unexplored parameter range.