River Hazards: Eddies
An eddy is a current created behind a rock or other obstruction, such as a house or car, that flows in a circular upstream direction.
- The flow of the eddy is opposite to the direction of the main laminar flow.
- The visual separation between an eddy and the main current is the eddy line. The line is narrow closest to the obstruction and becomes wider downstream.
![Showing the eddy flow and eddy line](https://ke-courses-production.s3.amazonaws.com/asset_files/production/2917/attachments/original/WR-eddy-and-eddy-line.jpg?1591045730)