Tides are weirder than you think
10 days ago
- #history of science
- #oceanography
- #tides
- 80% of global trade relies on shipping, highlighting the sea's importance.
- Lord Kelvin's tide-predicting machines (1870s) were early mechanical computers for tidal charts.
- Moon's gravity primarily causes tides, with Earth's rotation and landmasses complicating predictions.
- Sun's gravity also affects tides, causing Spring and Neap Tides based on alignment.
- Earth's tilt influences tidal patterns, leading to variations like 12-hour and 24-hour tides.
- Landmasses disrupt tidal waves, creating unique patterns like amphidromic points with no lunar tide.
- Predicting tides requires accounting for astronomical components, harbor shapes, and phases.
- Kelvin's machines automated tidal calculations until computers replaced them in the 1970s.
- Tides remain complex, with phenomena like tidal bores adding further unpredictability.