Beyond the Moon (ePub)

Finally, someone has written a comprehensive, easily readable explanation of the tides on earth that is both simple enough for students and solid enough for their professors. Step by step, by analogy and illustration, Beyond the Moon describes how the cyclical motion of the near solar system is impressed upon the earth's oceans, and how the hydraulics over the continental shelf and the geography of the coastline orchestrate this rhythm into the bewildering variety of tide patterns seen around the globe. This volume demystifies the complexity of the tides by systematically examining its many constituents and demonstrates that: “Nature is, at once, awesome in complexity and beautiful in simplicity.”Contents:The Tides in History. The Challenge of Understanding the Tides on EarthThe Lunar OrbitSolar Influences and Solar–Lunar Interaction. Gravitation and Tractal ForcesCelestial HarmonicsThe Coriolis Force and Oceanic Amphidromes. Coastal Kelvin Waves. Tidal Currents. Sea LevelThe Seiche Effect and Basins of Oscillation. Tidal IntermixingCoastal Geography and Near Shore Topography, Resonant Co-Oscillation and Sustained ForcingShallow Estuaries and Tidal Pumping. Tidal BoresThe Computation of the Tide-Tables. Chaos TheoryThe Weather and the Tides. Atmospheric TidesTidal Influence on Marine Biology. The Tides and Saltwater Fishing. Practical Tide-Table Information for Coastal BoatersThe Constituents of the Tides on Earth. Synopsis of Tidal InfluencesEpilogueDefinitionsReadership: Undergraduate oceanography students and secondary science students, as well as their teachers. The general public with an interest in science and nature. Coastal boaters, sailors, yachtsmen, and fishermen.