Introduction
When we walk along the beach, we often notice that the water level rises and recedes at certain times during the day which are known as low and high tides. These high and low tides that we observe on the beaches are caused by waves that form out far out in the ocean that travel along and crash into our coastline. If you have been to the beach more than once, you probably noticed that the high and low tides doesn’t always happen at the same time each day; they change. These waves are caused by an attractive force between masses called gravity and the many objects that contain mass in our solar system are always moving. Because the Moon is constantly orbiting Earth and the Earth is orbiting the Sun, the gravitational forces acting on our oceans change and so do the tides. Tides don’t happen solely on Earth but can happen on any planetary body where there is fluid and a nearby massive object exerting an attractive pull.
Gravity: the Tide Generating Force
Gravity is the main and most important force that causes tides. Force is given by Newton’s Second Law stating that force is the product of an object’s mass and its acceleration. Newton’s three laws are discussed in more detail in Appendix A. Newton’s law of universal gravitation states that the gravitational attraction between two bodies is directly proportional to their masses, and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between the bodies as shown in Equation 1.
F=GMm/r^2 (1)
It stands to reason that the more massive an object or the closer the two masses are to one another, the stronger the gravitational interaction. Since tidal forces are based on the gravitational force and are not the gravitational fo...
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...experience each time we go to the beach is actually very rich in physics. Tidal forces not only determine the type of tides and height of the tides for a particular day but also determine at what distance an object can orbit a more massive object. Forces, such as the centrifugal force, counteract tidal forces and can give shape to our planet. We are so thankful to the Moon, which is the main tidal generating orbiting object for Earth, which puts the Earth in a well-established equilibrium. The Moon creates the tides which control the currents in the ocean that give rise to the weather patterns and effect how the air and temperature flow globally. Our climate would be very different without the Moon and probably uninhabitable for us. It’s nice to appreciate the physics that helps explain our existence and why we are able to live in the universe in the way that we do.
“Oceans”, the third unit from “The Habitable Planet” series, discusses El Nino and the discovery of a new phytoplankton, and how these effect human and marine life . This paper will highlight six facts from the video, emphasizing what they are, how scientists have discovered this information, and what makes them important. In addition to these facts, this paper will explain the term “positive feedback” as briefly mentioned in the video and provide an example of this process outside of El Nino. The first of several interesting facts discussed in the video is that El Nino is responsible for devastating occurrences such as monsoons, droughts, and floods1.
times the length of the Bay. By virtue of blind luck or physics, the tide is
walking across them. The lines and pulleys and some parts of the waves are example of
Longshore drift influences the deposition and erosion of sediments. Waves erode the coast and transport the eroded material along the coastline. Over a period of time, the material will be deposited on a beach or form a larger feature such as a spit. Groynes are structures built at equal intervals along the coastline. Their purpose is to restrict longshore drift, preventing coastal erosion.
Carson has written this essay to provide insight about the tide currents of the deep waters. She also raises insight awareness on planetary forces and physical dimensions. Carson’s main focus consists on informing the readers about the size, timing, and occurrences the tides correlated with. Statistics and studies are given to further elaborate and assist Rachel’s theory that states “In every country the moon keeps ever the rule of alliance with the sea which-it once for all has agreed upon." From the tone of the essay, it can be seen that the theme contains educational content that has significant importance to the global being.
In the beginning of the creation of Earth volcanoes erupted all over the planet. During this period there was a time where a brief cooling period was allowed to take place. When this period took place evaporation caused a downpour of rain which flooded the ocean creating the ocean. At the time that ocean was averaged at 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Around this same time an asteroid so powerful hit the Earth knocking off a large chunk of it. This chunk became the moon which at the time was twice as close as it is today. The hitting of the planet Earth cause such a shake that many new undersea volcanoes began spewing forth molten rock and gasses. These gasses and other particles formed on the oceans surface and with the moon being so close were smashed together by strong and violent waves.
Erosion is when the elements such as wind, water, and ice remove pieces of land. (“What is Coastal Erosion?”) Coastal Erosion takes place when destructive waves wear parts of the coast away. Four ways in which this takes place are corrasion/abrasion, hydraulic action, attrition, and corrosion/solution. (“Internet Geography”) Corrasion/abrasion is when materials are hurled at the base of cliffs through waves. Hydraulic action is when waves hit the base of a cliff and air is compacted, when the wave leaves air is rushed out and often this causes the material to break. Attrition is when the waves cause rocks and pebbles to smash into each other and eventually break into pieces. Finally, Corrosion/solution is when certain types of cliff erode from the result of acids in the sea. (“Internet Geography”) Coastal Erosion is the natural process of taking land away permanently from one place to put it somewhere else. (“What is Coastal Erosion?”) Eroding coastlines are an abundant and important topic because it can change people’s surroundings in a negative way. I would like to address the questions surrounding Coastal Erosion.
Sara M. Evans, in her book, Tidal Wave: How Women Changed America at Century’s End, chronicles feminist activities over several decades from just before the beginning of the women’s liberation movement in the 1960’s through the 1990’s. Doctor Evans was born in 1943 and currently teaches at the University of Minnesota in the history department after receiving both her B.A. and M.A. at Duke University and then later her PhD from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill.
The Sun’s radiation heats the upper atmosphere, sending the energy toward the earth’s surface and finally mixes with the planet’s counter-rotational currents, creating jetstream flows. The winds flow over the ocean’s surface creating friction that spawns chops, pushing up the seas forming perfect bands of open ocean swell. Pushed on by gravitational forces, the swells speed away from the winds that they came from, moving across the deeps until they feel the drag of the shallows near the coast. As the swells rise up out of themselves, they peak, curling into the liquid dreams that we surfers ride (Kampton 4).
Ocean currents are horizontal or vertical movement of both surface and deep water throughout the world’s oceans (Briney, n.d.). The primary generating forces are wind and differences in water density caused by variations in temperature and salinity. Currents generated by these forces are modified by factors such as the depth of the water, ocean floor topography and deflection by the rotation of the Earth. Horizontal currents are wind driven, fast moving and carries small amount of water; while, vertical currents are slow moving, density driven and carries large bodies of water. In this paper I will describe horizontal and vertical currents, their importance and some of the tools used to measure ocean currents.
According to mechanical physics, a force is an effect that may cause a body to accelerate. Also as stated in Isaac Newton’s second law of motion, force is a vector quantity (has magnitude and direction) that is proportional to the product of the mass of a body and its acceleration.
Algal blooms are when algae grows at a fast rate and accumulate near the surface, hence the term "algal bloom". The term "Red Tide" is a misnomer because it has nothing to do with the tides. It refers to a specific type of algal bloom that occurs when certain species of phytoplankton that contain red pigments "bloom" causing the water to look red. Red Tides are usually not harmful.
The word “tsunami” comes from the Japanese, in which “tsu” stands for harbor and “nami” means wave. Another name for tsunamis are seismic sea waves. A tsunami is defined as an ocean wave with long wavelengths that are produced by a landslide, volcano, or earthquake. After a tsunami is generated, the waves move very rapidly across the ocean, reaching speeds over 435 miles per hour. In open and deep waters, a tsunami may have a wavelength of 125 miles and a height around 1.5 feet making it almost impossible to recognize. However, when a tsunami hits shallower waters, the height of the wave starts to increase. Shallow waters cause the waves to slow down, which results in a shorter wavelength. Once a wave reaches the shoreline, a tsunami can amazingly reach as high as 130 feet up in the air. Often, tsunamis are mistaken as tidal waves, but they are not the same thing. Tidal waves are ocean waves like tsunamis, but tidal waves take place in shallow waters
Tides are common features of the ocean. Tides occur when large bodies water rise and fall, because of the gravitational pull of the moon and the sun. Spring tides are especially strong tides; in spite of the name they have nothing to do with the season spring. They occur when the Earth, the sun, and the moon are in a line. Spring tides occur during the full moon and the new moon. Neap tides are especially weak tides. They occur when the gravitational forces of the moon and the sun are perpendicular to one another. When water moves from side to side, it is called a current. Currents move warm and cold water to different parts of the ocean.
The ocean can serve man purposes things for many different people; as a school, a home, a park...