What are the forces that generate tides?
Gravity is one major force that creates tides. In 1687, Sir Isaac Newton explained that ocean tides result from the gravitational attraction of the sun and moon on the oceans of the earth (Sumich, J.L., 1996).
What are tides and currents caused by?
Tides go up and down; currents move left and right. Tides are driven by the gravitational force of the moon and sun. Tides are characterized by water moving up and down over a long period of time. When used in association with water, the term “current” describes the motion of the water.
What are generating forces?
noun. the difference between the force of gravity exerted by the moon or the sun on a particle of water in the ocean and that exerted on an equal mass of matter at the centre of the earth. The lunar tide-generating forces are about 2.2 times greater than are the solar ones.
Do tides have a pattern?
Three basic tidal patterns occur along the Earth’s major shorelines. In general, most areas have two high tides and two low tides each day. When the two highs and the two lows are about the same height, the pattern is called a semi-daily or semidiurnal tide.
What forces are responsible for the movement of ocean water in currents?
Ocean currents are the continuous, predictable, directional movement of seawater driven by gravity, wind (Coriolis Effect), and water density. Ocean water moves in two directions: horizontally and vertically.
What has the most influence on ocean tides?
Tides and Water Levels The moon is a major influence on the Earth’s tides, but the sun also generates considerable tidal forces.
What are the causes of currents?
Oceanic currents are driven by three main factors:
- The rise and fall of the tides. Tides create a current in the oceans, which are strongest near the shore, and in bays and estuaries along the coast.
- Wind. Winds drive currents that are at or near the ocean’s surface.
- Thermohaline circulation.
Why do tides occur in certain patterns?
High tides and low tides are caused by the moon. The moon’s gravitational pull generates something called the tidal force. The tidal force causes Earth—and its water—to bulge out on the side closest to the moon and the side farthest from the moon. When you’re not in one of the bulges, you experience a low tide.
How does Coriolis force influence the movement of ocean currents?
As wind or an ocean current moves, the Earth spins underneath it. The Coriolis effect bends the direction of surface currents to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and left in the Southern Hemisphere. The Coriolis effect causes winds and currents to form circular patterns.
Why does wind and Coriolis force affect ocean currents?
Major surface ocean currents in the open ocean, however, are set in motion by the wind, which drags on the surface of the water as it blows. The winds pull surface water with them, creating currents. As these currents flow westward, the Coriolis effect—a force that results from the rotation of the Earth—deflects them.