Oceanography,

10e
Chapter 11: Tides

Garrison, Oceanography 10th Edition. ©2022 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or
duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
 Tides are Predictable
• Tides are periodic, short changes in the height
of the ocean surface at a particular place,
caused by the combination of the gravitational
force of the moon and sun, the motion of Earth,
and the inertia of water.
• Tides are the longest of all waves.

• These huge shallow-water waves are never free of the forces

that cause them and thus are called forced waves.

Garrison, Oceanography 10th Edition. ©2022 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or
duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Satellites are Used to Study Tides
• The European Space Agency (ESA)
launched three identical spacecraft in
2013, collectively known as Swarm.
• These satellites can study tides, ocean
mixing, and the ability of the ocean to
absorb heat through extremely subtle
variations in the Earth’s magnetic field.
• Scientists use the data from Swarm to
produce digital maps illustrating the
magnetic signals generated by the rise
and fall of tides.
 Earth’s Rotation and Tides
• Flood tide – water moves toward shore
• Ebb tide – water moves away from shore
• Tidal bulges are fixed relative to the Sun’s and Moon’s
positions
– Earth’s rotation moves different geographic locations into
bulges

In between Flood and Ebb tide= SLACK tide

 The Equilibrium Theory
• The explorer Pytheas first wrote of the connection between the position of the moon and
the height of tide around 300 B.C.E.
• Sir Isaac Newton’s 1687 book described the motions of planets, moons, and all other
bodies in gravitational fields.
• A central finding: The pull of gravity between two bodies is proportional to the masses
of the bodies but inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.
• Newton’s gravitational model of tides- the equilibrium theory- deals primarily with the
position and attraction of Earth, moon, and sun and does not factor the positions of
continental land masses.
• The equilibrium theory would accurately describe tides on a planet uniformly covered by
water.

Garrison, Oceanography 10th Edition. ©2022 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or
duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
The Earth-Moon System
 What are Tides?
• Tides – periodic raising and lowering of ocean sea level
• Occurs daily
• Caused by combination of gravity and motion between
Earth, Moon, and Sun
• Isaac Newton’s gravitational laws explain relationship
Tidal Range = Intertidal Zone
The Formation of Tidal Bulges Relative to the Moon

Garrison, Oceanography 10th Edition. ©2022 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or
duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Tidal Bulges Follow the Moon
Thinking Beyond The Figure?
•Why are there
high high tides and
low high tides?
That is, why are
high tides
sometimes very
high and not so
high at other
times?
It takes 24 hours for the earth to
completely revolve around the
sun.

If there are 2 high tides AND 2

low tides each day– then how
much time is there between
each tide?
Earth’s Rotation Beneath the Tidal Bulges

A graph of tide times at the

island as Earth turns eastward.
The tidal cycle is 24 hours 50
minutes.

Garrison, Oceanography 10th Edition. ©2022 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or
duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
A Lunar Day is Longer than a Solar Day
 Tides for Northport, Northport Bay starting
with October 20, 2008

Day Tide Time Feet

20 High 3:59 AM 7.1
20 Low 10:17 AM 0.6
20 High 4:20 PM 7.8

20 Low 11:08 PM 0.4

The Sun and Moon Influence the Tides Together

Garrison, Oceanography 10th Edition. ©2022 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or
duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
The gravitational pull of the Sun is almost 200
times greater than the Moon, but since the
Moon is almost 400 times closer to the Earth
than the Sun, the Moon’s gravitational pull is
more than twice that of the Sun.
Earth, Moon, and Sun Positions Relative to
Spring and Neap Tides
 Monthly Tidal Cycle
• Spring tides
– New or full moons
– Tidal range greatest

• Neap tides
– Quarter moons
– Tidal range least
Tidal Record for a Month at Two Locations
 Discussion Activity 1
A Changing Moon
• If the moon moved further away from Earth or did not exist, how would the
number of days in a year change?

• What would happen to the tides if Earth had more than one moon?

• How did Earth’s moon form?

 Activity 1: Debrief A Changing Moon

If the moon moved further away from Earth or did not exist, how would the number of
days in a year change? Tidal friction slows the Earth’ rotation. If the tidal friction would
decrease, the Earth would rotate faster, which would increase the number of days in a year.

What would happen to the tides if Earth had more than one moon? The direct results of more moons would be
dependent on the nature of the additional moon(s). It would be expected that tidal ranges would increase, coastal
communities would be flooded, marine habitats would have to adapt, and both heat and nutrient of global distribution
would change.

How did Earth’s moon form? The current model for the formation of the moon is a collision
between our planet and a Mars-sized object. The enormous impact threw debris into orbit around
the young Earth and from this maelstrom, the moon coalesced.
Tidal Friction Slows Earth’s Rotation
• Tidal friction is gradually slowing the Earth’s rotation by
a few hundredths of a second per century.
– Evidence suggests:
• 350 million years ago, a year contained between 400 and 410 days
– Each day was 22 hours long
• 280 million years ago, a year contained about 390 days
– Each day was 22 ½ hours long

• Tidal friction affects other bodies.

– Tidal forces have locked the rotation of the moon to that of
Earth, resulting in the same side of the moon always facing
Earth.
 Tide Curves
for the Three
Common
Types of Tides
 Tidal Patterns
• Diurnal
– One high tide/one low tide per day
• Semidiurnal
– Two high tides/two low tides per day
– Tidal range about same
• Mixed
– Two high tides/two low tides per day
– Tidal range different
Semidiurnal
Tide
Tides in Bay of Fundy, Nova Scotia
Bay of Fundy –
World’s Largest
Tidal Range
Bay of Fundy

115 billion
tonnes of
water flow in
and out of the
bay -
With
measurements
of a 56 feet
tidal range
Tidal Bore:
A True
Tidal Wave
Tidal Bore
 Complicating Factors
• Elliptical orbits
• 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

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.

Effects of Elliptical Orbits
Tides and
Marine Life
• Tide pools and life
• Grunion spawning
Tides Influence Coastal Marine Life
 Tide-Generated Power
• Does not produce power on demand
• Possible harmful environmental effects
• Renewable resource
• First Asian power plant in 2006
• United Kingdom proposed building world’s largest tidal
power plant
Tidal Currents Provide Electrical Power
Power Plant at La Rance, France
• Successfully
producing tidal power
since 1967
Free-standing Tidal Turbines
Generate Electricity
 Knowledge Check Activity 4
1. How is electrical power being generated from tidal movement?

2. Why isn’t tidal power being developed more aggressively?

Garrison, Oceanography 10th Edition. ©2022 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or
duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
 Knowledge Check Activity 4: Answers
1. How is electrical power being generated from tidal movement? There are major tidal power stations in France on the
estuary of the river Rance, on the Annapolis River in Nova Scotia, and at Sihwa Lake in South Korea (Figure 11.20).

Tidal power plants

2. Why isn’t tidal power being developed more aggressively?
usually need to be located where tidal currents are strong, there
is an inlet where a dam can be built across, and there is nearby
population demand. The number of suitable locations that meet
these requirements are not available everywhere. Once installed,
they can be damaged by storms and corroded by seawater.
Computer simulations have suggested that installing a dam
would change the resonance modes of a bay or estuary—and
therefore the height of the tide wave. Studies also suggest that
sensitive planktonic and benthic marine life would be disrupted.
Garrison, Oceanography 10th Edition. ©2022 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or
duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.