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?
tides are !ery longperiod wa!es that mo!e through the oceans in response to the
forces exerted by the moon and sun.
". What is a high tide? What is a low tide?
water comes in for high tide and goes out for low tide
#. What is tidal range?

What Causes Tides?

$. %ides are caused by the gra!itational attraction of what two celestial bodies?
sun and moon
&. What does 'ewton(s law of uni!ersal gra!itational state?
gra!itational attraction between two bodies is directly proportional to their masses,
and in!ersely proportional to the square of the distance between the bodies
). Which celestial body has a greater effect on tidal forces on *arth?
sun
Gravity, Inertia, and the Two Bulges
+. ,ow does the moon create a bulge?
due to its gra!itational force and inertias counterbalance
1-. What causes a bulge to be created on the opposite side of the *arth or the .far
side/ from the moon?
the gra!itational attraction of the moon is less because it is farther away. ,ere,
inertia exceeds the gra!itational force, and the water tries to keep going in a straight
line, mo!ing away from the *arth, also forming a bulge.
Changing ngles and Changing Tides
11. 0escribe 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 in relation
to the equator and the sun(s relati!e position to the equator changes o!er the course of
a year as the *arth rotates around it.
1". At what point is the sun at its minimum declination and its maximum declination?
minimum1 !ernal and autumnal equinoxes, maximum1 the summer and winter
solstices.
!requency o" Tides # The $unar %ay
12. 3ompare and contrast a solar and lunar day. ,ow long is a lunar day?
solar day is "4 hours and a lunar day is "4 hours and 2- minutes
1$. Why do most coastal areas experience two high tides and two low tides?
Because the *arth rotates through two tidal bulges e!ery lunar day.
1&. ,ow long does it take for high tide to occur? ,ow long is the time between low
and high tide?
,igh tides occur 1" hours and "2 minutes apart, 5t takes six hours and 1".2 minutes
for the water at the shore to go from high to low, or from low to high.
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?
extrahigh high tides, and !ery low, low tides, the solar tide partially cancels
out the lunar tide and produces moderate tides known as neap tides. %wo sping
and neap tides happen.
1+. ,ow are tidegenerating forces affected when the moon is closest to the *arth 6or
perigee7? when the moon is farthest away from the *arth 6or apogee7? ,ow does this
affect the tides that are produced?
the moon follows an elliptical path around the *arth, the distance between them
!aries by about #1,--- miles o!er the course of a month. tidegenerating forces are
higher than usual, producing abo!ea!erage ranges in the tides.
"-. ,ow are tidegenerating forces affected when the *arth is closest to the sun 6or
perihelion7? when the *arth is farthest from the sun 6or aphelion7? ,ow does this
affect the tides that are produced?
and the tidal ranges are less than a!erage, the tidal ranges are reduced
What ""ects Tides in ddition to the 'un and (oon?
"1. ,ow are the magnitudes of tides affected by shorelines? By midocean islands?
%he relati!e distances and positions of the sun, moon and *arth all affect the si8e
and magnitude of the *arth(s two tidal bulges.
"". ,ow does a funnelshaped bay compare to a narrow inlet and shallow water?
9unnelshaped bays in particular can dramatically alter tidal magnitude, 'arrow
inlets and shallow water also tend to dissipate incoming tides.
"#. What is the affect of strong tidal ri!ers on tides in estuaries?
they can stongly alter the tides of the estuaries.
"4. What other abiotic factors affect tides? 3ompare and contrast wind and weather
patterns that affect tides.
high pressure systems, sea le!els, low pressure systems, they affect it by altering the
tides and motions of the water.