smart guys out there, what do the measurements indicate next to the high and low tides? For example, today in NJ low was .28ft and high was 3.9 feet. I realize that the differential is significant and it impacts surf differently in the area but what are the measurements related to? 3.9ft above what?
charlie is correct. this is something that east coasters, including myself, overlook often. It definitely does have an impact, but it seems to be less influential compared to west coast.
Exactly!!! Though, I thought it was above/below sea level. It also depends on the moon's proximity to the earth since our tides are the only visual signs of the moon's gravitational pull. Because our tides depend on the moons location and orbit path, we get "spring" and "neap" tides. Someone correct me if I'm wrong..... but, I believe the spring tides are higher than the neap tides because the moon is closer. So, we had really high tides this spring with some nice storms that ended up washing out some sand to make steep drops off the beach w/ some pronounced sandbars (to tie it into the thread on the OC sandbars).
''MEAN'' tide Anytime you get completely slammed by a shorebreak closeout- that's one ''mean'' tide. Sorry, but I couldn't help myself. ''Mean'' tide is essentially an average point, the variance is a combination of several elements including apogee and perogee of the moon in relationship to the earth. Ever consider what the world would be like without the tides? Worse still, without the weather which keeps everything moving from winds to currents to the combination of forces that create the waves. It all boils down to science, and centuries of documentation of earth's many patterns.
tides Spring tides occur twice a month with new and full moons because the sun and moon's gravitational pull is aligned, the range between high and low is at greatest distance, hence the tide "springs" from high to low or low to high because more water has to move in and out in the same 6 hr timeframe. Neap tides occur with first and last quarter moon phases and the range between high and low is at its smallest because the sun and moons gravity is cancelling each other out (not all the way there is is still a tide). When the moon is at apogee (farthest distance from earth) it has less of a gravitational influence so the tide ranges will be smaller no matter what the moon phase is compared to when it's at perigee (closest distance from earth). Tide times can also be figured by the moon phase, for our area new and full moon= high tide in mornings and evenings (summertime daylight) and quarter moon=high tide at mid day.
there are sooo many variable with East coast I do not know how you make such accurate predictions. Nice work. Md is having a nice little ridable week!
This week is a good example of why knowing the extent of the high and low tides is important. As some of you may have noticed, the mornings have been much better, from a tide stand point, then the afternoons. If you check the tide heights, you would notice that this morning's high tide was only a little over 3', wereas the high tide this afternoon is about 4.5'. Hence, the effect of high tide was much less this morning, which is especially noticable with the very small waves we have been "blessed" with lately. Stay tuned for lesson #2 at some point in the future.........
Thanks!!! I don't know how I've been surfing the last 12 years of my life without knowing this. Man, i guess it's just been luck that I paddle out to surf the nicest waves jk http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/ind...ndID=39562424&albumID=1212548&imageID=9929268
Tide and Current Glossary http://co-ops.nos.noaa.gov/publications/glossary2.pdf mean tide level (MTL)—A tidal datum. The arithmetic mean of mean high water and mean low water. Same as half-tide level. half-tide level—Same as mean tide level. mean high water (MHW)—A tidal datum. The average of all the high water heights observed over the National Tidal Datum Epoch. For stations with shorter series, comparison of simultaneous observations with a control tide station is made in order to derive the equivalent datum of the National Tidal Datum Epoch. mean low water (MLW)—A tidal datum. The average of all the low water heights observed over the National Tidal Datum Epoch. For stations with shorter series, comparison of simultaneous observations with a control tide station is made in order to derive the equivalent datum of the National Tidal Datum Epoch. National Tidal Datum Epoch—The specific 19-year period adopted by the National Ocean Service as the official time segment over which tide observations are taken and reduced to obtain mean values (e.g., mean lower low water, etc.) for tidal datums. It is necessary for standardization because of periodic and apparent secular trends in sea level. The present National Tidal Datum Epoch is 1960 through 1978. It is reviewed annually for possible revision and must be actively considered for revision every 25 years
That's right bud!! There is always confusion/questions about this stuff. This glossary is a great reference..
