Tides

Melissa Wartman & Christa Lee Spurrell

 What are Tides?
 The periodic raising and lowering of average sea level that
occurs throughout the ocean.
 Tidal forces are caused by gravitational forces exerted from
the Moon and the Sun. The differences of gravitational
forces from the Moon and the Sun depends on the distance
from the center of the Earth to the center of the Moon or
Sun.
 Lunar Gravitational
Components
FM= tide generating force for the Earth-Moon system

K= constant for forces between the Earth and any other planetary body

FM = K x __(mass of moon)____

(Earth-to-Moon distance)3
Solar Gravitational Components
Fs= Tide generating force for the Earth-Sun system

K= constant for forces between the Earth and any other planetary
body

Fs= K x (Mass of Sun)______

(Earth-to-Sun distance)3
Lunar and Solar Tide-Generating
Forces
Fs = (Mass of sun) x (Earth-to-Moon distance)3
FM (Mass of Moon) (Earth-to-Sun distance)3

= 27,000,000 x (1)3
1 (390)3
= 0.26
 The Sun’s tide generating force is only 46% of the Moon’s
tide generating force because it is much farther away from
the Earth, despite its large mass.
Lunar Gravitational Components
 Despite its small size, the Moon has about twice the tide
generating effect of the Sun due to its closer distance.
 In a simplified model of tides which assumes an ocean of
uniform depth and ignore the effect of friction and other
horizontal forces tend to push water into two bulges on
opposite sides of Earth. Once bulge is directly facing the tide
generating body (Sun or Moon) and the other is directly
opposite.
 The tidal bulges due to the Moon’s gravity (lunar bulges)
dominate.
 Solar Gravitational Components
 Because tides are additive the low tide of the solar tide
partially offsets and reduces the height of the lunar high tide.
 The high tide of the solar tide partially offsets the lunar low
tide.
 The solar bulges are much smaller than the lunar bulges due
to the difference in the distance from Earth between the Sun
and the Moon.
 Amphidromic Systems
 Amphidromic System is a standing tide wave created by the
Coriolis Effect that rotates around an ocean basin during one
tidal period. This system rotates around an amphidromic
point (node) at which the tidal range is zero.
 Amphidromic Point: A nodal or “no tide” point in the ocean
or sea around which the crests of the tide wave rotates during
one tidal period.
 Coriolis Effect is an apparent deflection of freely moving
objects caused by the Earth’s rotation. Water moves
counterclockwise in the N.Hemisphere and clockwise in the
S. Hemisphere.
Amphidromic Systems
 Tide Characteristics
 Variations in the depth, sizes and shape of the ocean basin modify tides
so they exhibit three different patterns in different parts of the world.
 Diurnal tide (Daily): have a single high and low tide each lunar day
( a lunar day is 24 hours and 50 minutes). Common in shallow inland
seas.
 Semidiurnal tide: has two high tides and two low tides each lunar
day. The heights of the successive high and low tides are
approximately the same. The tidal period is 12 hours and 25 minutes.
 Mixed tides: also have two high tides and two low tides each tidal
day. The heights of the two high tides and low tides are different.
Mixed tides are most common.
 Spring and Neap Tides
 Tidal range is the vertical distance
between high and low tides.
 Spring tides are tides with the
largest tidal range during the lunar
month (28 days) and occur twice
during this period. The
gravitational forces are additive.
 Neap tides are tides with the
smallest tidal ranges during the
lunar month and also occur twice
during the period. The gravitational
forces are subtractive.
 Variations related to orbital
patterns
 The elliptical orbits of Earth around the Sun and the Moon
around the Earth change the distances between Earth, the Moon
and the Sun, thus affecting Earth’s tides.
 Earth revolves around the Sun in an elliptical orbit, therefore
the distance between Earth and the Sun varies by 2.5% over the
course of the year.
 Tidal ranges are largest when Earth is near its closest point,
called perihelion and smallest near its most distant point called
aphelion.
 Greatest tidal ranges occur during January.
 Variations related to orbital
patterns cont’d
 The moon revolves around Earth in an elliptical orbit as well.
The Earth-Moon distance varies by 8%.
 Tidal ranges are largest when the moon is closest to Earth
called perigee and smallest when most distant, called
apogee.
 It cycles between the two every 27 ½ days
 Tide Sizes
 Microtidal
 Smaller tidal ranges which exist in most parts of the world’s
oceans

 Mesotidal
 Average tidal ranges from 1 to 2 meters and even up to 5
meters.

 Macrotidal
 World’s largest tidal ranges
 Example: Bay of Fundy
 References
 Essentials of Oceanography 9th Ed. by Alan P. Trujillo and
Harold V. Thurman
 Introduction to Ocean Sciences 2nd Ed. by Douglas A. Segar