Tides Flashcards
What do tides effect?
Mixing
Why are tides important?
- Intertidal ecosystem
- Mixing of the water column
- Biological rhythms
What do the moon and the Earth orbit?
A centre of mass
Describe the centrifugal force
Every water molecule experiences this force and it is the same everywhere on the planet, goes in the opposite direction than the gravitational force
What is the tidal force?
This is the resulting force of the gravitational force and the centrifugal force, the water is both pushed and pulled towards the moon
Simple tide
Earth’s rotation means we experience two high tides and two low tides
A lunar day
The moon is not perpendicular to the equator so the high tide may not be as high as the first one
What does the declination of the moon cause?
Uneven tides, at high latitudes you will only get one tide a day
What happens when you add forces?
Due to the moon and the sun you get a combined higher and lower tide
Why are tides not ordered by latitude?
That assumes an only water world, in reality some waves combine
Co tidal lines?
Lines along which the timing of the tide is identical and the amplitude of which increases with distance from the amphidromic point
Co-range
lines with similar amplitude
When does the corolious force have a small effect?
when the water is going in and then out again
What does it mean if you are further away from the node?
Higher the range in the tide
What are marigrams?
A graphical record over time of tidal water levels at one location
