Tides – What are they and how are they produced?

Many are the natural phenomena that accompany us in our daily lives; rain, lightning, thunder, sunrise, lunar transit and the cycle of the moon, among other things, are present in our lives continuously, although we often ignore them.

Today we are going to focus on a natural phenomenon related to our satellite, as it has been scientifically proven that the moon influences the formation and action of the tides.

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What are Las Mareas?

These are natural phenomena that consist of the periodic and constant movement of the waters of the seas and oceans, mainly due to the forces of attraction exerted by our satellite, the moon.

The sun is also involved in the process, but the moon plays the main role, and the action is based on the action of the force of gravity exerted by the sun and the moon in relation to the earth.

They originate in the interior of seas and oceans, transferring their actions and effects to coastal areas all over the earth, thus producing the rise and fall of sea levels.

Tides and Water Levels

Tides and water levels in seas and oceans are directly affected by the force of gravity exerted by the moon on the earth.

We might think that only the part of the earth that faces the moon would see these movements and rises in water levels; however, this is not the case and every day there are two rises in the water levels of the seas and oceans and two falls in the water levels of the entire planet.

What Causes Tides?

We can say in a simple way that the forces of attraction that both the sun and the moon exert on the earth, allow a deformation and consequent movement of the water masses of seas and oceans; this causes the water levels to rise and the tides to form.

The earth keeps rotating, so when the face that was facing the moon changes due to the rotational motion, the water levels drop because the force of attraction decreases.

These forces will then fall on the side of the earth facing the moon and this part of the planet will experience a corresponding rise in the waters.

Pleamares and Bajamares

The so-called high tide, or high tide, is the time when the sea level reaches its highest point. There are two high tides per day, with a difference of twelve hours and twenty-five minutes between them.

Low tide is the name given to low tide and is the time when the sea waters are at their lowest point. There are also two low tides during the day, with a difference of twelve hours and twenty-five minutes between one and the other. The time between high tide and low tide is six hours, twelve minutes and 30 seconds, so the tide changes every day for an average of 50 minutes.

Live Tides and Dead Tides

The so-called neap tides are produced when there is a full moon or when there is a new moon. When this type of tide occurs, there is a greater amplitude between high tide and low tide. The reason for this situation is the alignment of the sun and the moon, which produces a greater force of gravitational attraction.

Neap tides are produced during the lunar quarters, waxing and waning, when the minimum distance between high tide and low tide occurs. The cause of this phenomenon is that the sun and the moon are at opposite points, forming a 90-degree angle.

Gravity, Inertia and the Two Tidal Bulges

The gravitational pull between the earth and the moon is stronger on the side of the earth that faces the moon due to the rotational motion, because they are closer together.

This attraction causes the water in this zone to be “pulled” towards the moon; gravity acts to pull the water out and inertia seeks to hold it in place.

Gravity is stronger than inertia and the water drawn towards the moon generates the water bumps on the side of the earth closest to the moon.

Thus, gravity and inertia form two bulges of water; they occur when the moon is closest to the earth. Both bulges stay aligned with the moon as it revolves around the earth.

Angle Change and Tidal Shifts

As the moon revolves around the earth, its angle becomes larger and decreases in relation to the equator, the declination of the moon.

As the tidal bulges follow the changes of the moon, they also increase or decrease their angles and declinations with respect to the equator.

Tidal Frequency: The Lunar Day

We are all aware of solar days, of 24 hours, twelve hours of sunlight and twelve without the presence of the sun; there are also lunar days.

A lunar day is the time it takes for a specific location on the earth to rotate from an exact point under the moon to the same point under the moon.

A lunar day consists of 24 hours and 50 minutes. The 50 minutes difference from the solar day is due to the fact that the moon rotates around the earth in the same direction as the earth rotates on its axis.

We hope you have loved this post, from SURFCANARIAS we have always been committed to the educational aspect that surrounds the concept of “surfing”, so in each post we try to tell you in the most correct way all the information that we believe may be of interest to you and at the same time provide you with some new knowledge.

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