Tides Flashcards
What are tides?
Tides are long waves, either progressing or standing
What powers the tide?
Generated by the gravitational potential of the moon and the sun
What is the dominant period of a tide?
12 hours 25 minutes (1/2 of a lunar day)
What are propagation and amplitude influenced by?
Friction, the rotation of the earth (Coriolis effect) and resonances determined by the shapes and depths of the ocean basins and marginal seas
What is high water?
A water level maximum (high tide)
What is low water?
A water level minimum (low tide)
What is the tidal range?
At a given place, the difference in height between consecutive high and low tides is the tidal range (vertical motion)
What can the ebb and flow of tide cause?
Can cause strong tidal currents (horizontal motion)
What is the mean tide level?
The mean water level, relative to a reference point (the datum) when averaged over a long time
What is the spring tide?
The tide following full and new moon
What is the neap tide?
The tide following the first and last quarter of the moon phases
What is the tidal range?
Follows a spring-neap cycle over a period of 14.5 days (half the synodic month)
What is synodic?
Related to the same phases of a planet or its satellites
