Tides Webquest

Part I: Background on Tides

Begin your information search by using your textbook and accessing
http://www.nos.noaa.gov/education/tides/welcome.html
As you read through the tutorial, answer the questions below that correspond to each
section of the tutorial.
What are Tides?
1. What is a basic definition of a tide?
ides are !ery long period wa!es that correspond with the gra!itational pull of the sun
and moon.
". What is a high tide? What is a low tide?
#igh tide is when the tide is at its highest point, and low tide is when the water is at
its lowest point.
$. What is tidal range?
idal range is the length between high tide and low tide.
What Causes Tides?
%. ides are caused by the gra!itational attraction of what two celestial bodies?
he sun and the moon
&. What does 'ewton(s law of uni!ersal gra!itational state?
'ewton(s law of uni!ersal gra!itational states that any two bodies in the uni!erse
attract each other with a force that is directly proportional to the product of their
masses and in!ersely proportional to the square of distance between them.
). Which celestial body has a greater effect on tidal forces on *arth?
he moon has a stronger gra!itational pull on the *arth due to the fact that is closer.
his means that the mo!ement of the moon has a greater impact on the tides than the
sun.
Gravity, Inertia, and the Two Bulges
+. #ow does the moon create a bulge?
he moon creates a bulge in the water because of its gra!itational pull. he moon is
pulling the water towards itself, but the inertia of the water attempts to keep the water
in place. #owe!er, the gra!itational force exceeds the force of the inertia, thus
creating a bulge.
1,. What causes a bulge to be created on the opposite side of the *arth or the -far
side. from the moon?
he reason for a bulge on the opposite side of the *arth is because the moon is farther
away.
Changing ngles and Changing Tides
11. /escribe how changes in the relati!e positions of the moon and sun change in
relation to the *arth?
As the moon re!ol!es around the *arth, its angle increases and decreases around the
equator, this is called declination. he two bulges track the moon in this declination.
0imilarly, the suns relati!e position changes o!er a year as the *arth rotates re!ol!es
around it.
1". At what point is the sun at its minimum declination and its maximum declination?
1inimum2 1arch "1
st
, 0eptember "$
rd

1aximum2 3une "1
st
, /ecember ""
nd

!requency o" Tides # The $unar %ay
14. 5ompare and contrast a solar and lunar day. #ow long is a lunar day?
A solar day is the length it takes the sun to cross the two meridians. A lunar day is
"&.$ days, and is the same "&.$ days for re!ol!ing and rotating.
1%. Why do most coastal areas experience two high tides and two low tides?
his happens because of the tidal bulges.
1&. #ow long does it take for high tide to occur? #ow long is the time between low
and high tide? #igh tide2 1" hours and "4 minutes apart. 6t takes % hours and 1".4
minutes to change from high to low tide.
Tidal &ariations # The In"luence o" Position and %istance
1). What causes spring tides? What causes neap tides? #ow many spring and neap
tides occur in a lunar month? 0pring tides happen when the sun, earth, and moon are
aligned, thus create a strong gra!itational pull. 'eap tides occur when the sun, earth,
and moon form a right angle. his creates a week gra!itational pull, which in turn
causes a slight change between high and low tides. wo sets of spring and neap tides
occur in each lunar month.
1+. #ow are tide7generating forces affected when the moon is closest to the *arth 8or
perigee9, how about when the moon is farthest away from the *arth 8or apogee9? #ow
does this affect the tides that are produced?
he closer the moon is to the *arth the stronger the gra!itational pull. his means that
tides will be more intense in perigee than in apogee because the moon is pulling the
water with more force. 6n apogee, the moon has less gra!itational pull, and thus the
tides aren(t as strong.
",. #ow are tide7generating forces affected when the *arth is closest to the sun 8or
perihelion9? when the *arth is farthest from the sun 8or aphelion9? #ow does this
affect the tides that are produced?
When *arth is closest to the sun, the tides range increases dramatically, and when
*arth is farthest from the sun the opposite occurs, with the tides range lowering
dramatically. his happens because of the distance from the *arth to the sun.
What ""ects Tides in ddition to the 'un and (oon?
"1. #ow are the magnitudes of tides affected by shorelines? By mid7ocean islands?
ides near shorelines are affected minutely, the shape changes them. By mid7ocean
islands, tides barely change, with about a meter between high and low tide.
"". #ow does a funnel7shaped bay compare to a narrow inlet and shallow water?
:unnel shaped bays ha!e !ery high tides, compared to the relati!ely small tides of a
narrow inlet and shallow water.
"$. What is the affect of strong tidal ri!ers on tides in estuaries?
;owerful ri!er flows can mask the effects of tides, making it seem like they are non
existent.
"<. What other abiotic factors affect tides? 5ompare and contrast wind and weather
patterns that affect tides.
Wind and weather patterns also affect tides, as well as ri!er currents and things of that
nature. Wind can mo!e water away from the coast, gi!ing it an unplanned low tide, or
!ice !ersa. Whene!er the sky is o!ercast, tides are higher than normal.