Unit 8 - Tides

What are Tides?

• Tides are the periodic raising and lowering of
ocean sea level
• Tides are very long shallow water waves
• Caused by combination of gravity and motion
between Earth, Moon, and Sun
• Isaac Newton’s gravitational laws explain the
tides
 Gravitational Forces
• Gravitational force is greatest at zenith – closest to moon
• Gravitational force is lowest at nadir – furthest from
moon and opposite zenith
 Centripetal Forces
• Centripetal force tethers the Earth and Moon to each
other (keeps them in orbit)
• Centripetal force is equal on all parts of the earth
 Resultant Forces produce tides
• The resultant force is the difference between
gravitational and centripetal forces
• It is the relatively small force that produces the
tides
 Resultant Forces
• The resultant force pushes water into two
simultaneous bulges
– One toward Moon
– One away from Moon
Tidal Bulges – Moon’s Effect
 Tidal Periods
• Tidal period – time between high tides
• Lunar day - Time between two successive overhead moons
equal to 24 hours, 50 minutes
• High tides are 12 hours and 25 minutes apart (2 per lunar day)
 Tidal Bulges – Sun’s Effect
• Similar to lunar bulges but much smaller (only 46% of the lunar
bulge)
• The moons effect on tides is greater because it is so much closer
than the sun
 Monthly Tidal Cycle
• Spring tides
– New or full moons when sun and moon are in alignment
– Tidal range is the greatest
– Syzygy – when celestial bodies are in alignment
• Neap tides
– Quarter moons when sun and moon are at right angles
relative to the Earth.
– Tidal range is the lowest
– Quadrature – when celestial bodies are at right angles
Spring and Neap Tides
 Complicating Factors
• Declination – Angular distance of the Moon or
Sun above or below Earth’s equator
• Sun to Earth: 23.5 degrees north or south of
equator
• Moon to Earth: 28.5 degrees north or south of
equator
• Lunar and solar bulges shift from equator
• This produces unequal (mixed) tides at
different spots around the world
Declination and Tidal Bulges
Effects of declination on tides
Elliptical Orbits add Complication
• Earth around Sun:
– Tidal range greatest at perihelion (January)
– Tidal range least at aphelion (July)
• Moon around Earth:
– Tidal range greatest at perigee (Moon closest to
Earth)
– Tidal range least at apogee (Moon furthest from
Earth)
– Perigee–apogee cycle is 27.5 days
Relative sizes of the moon
Effects of Elliptical Orbits
 Actual tides are more complex
• Continents and friction with seafloor modify
tidal bulges
• Tides are shallow-water waves with speed
determined by depth of water
• Idealized tidal bulges cannot form because they
cannot keep up with Earth’s rotation
 Where do the tides start?
• Tides start in the centers of the world’s oceans.
• Tides act like water swirling in a bowl.
• There will be a node in the center where the water
level never rises or falls.
 Amphidromic Points
• Cotidal map shows tides rotate around amphidromic points.
• There are 140 amphidromic points in the world’s oceans.

Amphidromic Points

Figure 9-14
 Cotidal Lines
• Cotidal lines show where high tides occur at
the same time
 Spidey Says…
“if you don’t understand amphidromic points
I’m going to bite you!”
 Tidal circulation

• Tides progress around basins, clockwise in S

hemisphere and counterclockwise in N hemisphere
Animation of Tidal Elevations in the Pacific
 Tidal Patterns

• Diurnal One high tide and

one low tide per day
• Semidiurnal Two equal high
and low tides per day
• Mixed Two unequal high and
low tides per day (most
common type)
Tidal Patterns in the U.S.
 Tidal Graphs
• Tidal graphs show all
the tidal patterns for a
location over time.
• Spring and neap tides
• Diuranal, mixed, or
semidiuranal tides.
 Flood and Ebb Currents
• Flood current
is when the
tide is coming
in.
• Ebb current is
when the tide
is going out
 Tides in Coastal Waters
• Tide waves are reflected by coastlines
producing complicated effects
• This can amplify the tidal range
• Cook Inlet Alaska and the Bay of Fundy in
Nova Scotia are examples of extreme tides
caused by coastal effects
Cook Inlet Tides
 The Bay of Fundy
• Tidal Range is the difference between high tide and low
tide. The Bay of Fundy in Canada has the greatest tidal
range on the planet -56 ft.
• Nova Scotia bends when the tide comes in!
• As 14 billion tons of sea water flow into Minas Basin
twice daily, the Nova Scotia countryside actually tilts
lightly under the immense load !

Bay of Fundy
tidal bore
Bay of Fundy – World’s Largest Tidal Range
 Tidal Bores
• The wave on the incoming (flood) tide in certain rivers is known as a
Tidal Bore.
• Tidal bores occur in about 100 rivers throughout the world.
• The Qiantang Bore in China reaches heights of 15 ft. and travels 15 mph.
• The Pororoca, in the Amazon River, forms waves 12 ft. high and can reach
speeds of 20 mph.
• The Severn Bore in England is a popular one to surf as shown below.
Qiantang Bore Surfing the Severn Bore
 Whirlpools!
• Rapidly spinning seawater
• Occur in restricted
channels connecting two
basins with different tidal
cycles
• The Maelstrom in Norway
is the world’s largest
whirlpool
 Tide-Generated Power
• Renewable energy source but not yet widely used.
• Possible harmful environmental effects from blocking tidal currents
• Oldest was built in France in the 1960s
• Largest was finished in South Korea this year (2011)
Power Plant at La Rance, France