What Makes a River Flow Backward?

Sometimes, a river can go backwards because of the tide. Imagine you're filling up a bucket with water from a hose, and then someone turns the hose around, water starts flowing back out of the bucket! That's kind of what happens to some rivers when they are near the ocean. The tide pushes water upstream, making the river flow backward for a little while.

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Examples

A child might see water coming out of a hose and back into the bucket when the hose is turned around.
It’s like watching a wave roll up a street during a big storm, making it look like the street is flowing backward.
Imagine filling your bathtub with water and then turning on the drain, water flows out of the tub instead of going in.

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Categories: Environment · rivers· geology· science· environmental phenomena