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Tides: A Very Short Introduction [#621]
Tides: A Very Short Introduction [#621]
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  • Explains the nature and cause of the tide, its observation and prediction, unusual tides, and their relevance to us
  • Blends clear explanations of well known tidal phenomena with recent insights in the deep ocean and coastal seas
  • Considers the effects of tidal processes on the moons of Jupiter and Saturn and the possibility of tidally-heated liquid oceans with their own ecosystems
  • Discusses how we can study the role of the tide in the geological and biological evolution of our own planet with innovative computer models

     
The tide is the greatest synchronised movement of matter on our planet. Every drop of seawater takes part in tidal motion, driven by the gravitational pull of the moon and sun. At the coast, we see the tide as a twice-daily rise and fall of sea level that moves the edge of the sea up and down a beach or cliff-face. In some places, the tide is small but at others it can rise in a few hours by the height of a three storey building; it then has to be treated with great respect by those who live and work by the sea.
   
In this Very Short Introduction David George Bowers and Emyr Martyn Roberts explore what we know about the tides. Blending clear explanations of well known tidal phenomena with recent insights in the deep ocean and coastal seas, Bowers and Roberts use examples from around the world, to tell the story of the tide, considering its nature and causes, its observation and prediction, and unusual tides and their relevance. They explore why tides have attracted the attention of some of the world's greatest scientists, from the initial challenge of explaining why there are two tides a day when the moon and sun pass overhead just once; a problem that was solved by Isaac Newton. In the 19th century, scientists unravelled the rhythms of the tide; good tidal predictions in the form of tide tables were then possible. The predictions were made on beautiful tide predicting machines constructed of brass and mahogany, some of which can still be seen in maritime museums. In the 20th century, the importance of tides as mixers of sea water became evident. As Bowers and Roberts explore, tidal mixing of the ocean is essential for maintaining its deep circulation, a key part of the climate-control system of our planet. In inshore waters, tidal mixing enhances biological productivity, influences sea temperature and turbidity and creates dramatic features such as maelstroms and tidal bores. In the 21st century, space probes are examining the effects of tidal processes on the moons of Jupiter and Saturn and the possibility of tidally-heated liquid oceans with their own ecosystems. Looking to the cutting edge of tidal research, Bowers and Roberts also consider how we can study the role of the tide in the geological and biological evolution of our own planet with innovative computer models.

Index: 

1: Watching the tide
2: Making tides
3: Measurement and prediciton
4: The tide in shelf seas
5: Tidal bores
6: Tides and the Earth
7: Tidal mixing
8: New frontiers
   
Further Reading
index

About the author: 

David George Bowers, Emeritus Professor of Physical Oceanography, Bangor University, and Emyr Martyn Roberts, Researcher, University of Bergen
     
    
David George Bowers is Emeritus Professor of Physical Oceanography at Bangor University. He has taught courses on tides and tidal phenomena for many years. As well as Bangor, he has worked as a Research Fellow at Flinders University of South Australia and has collaborated (and published work) with scientists across the world, including in France, Malaysia, Mozambique and the USA. He has taken part in research cruises in the Indian, Atlantic, and Southern Oceans as well as many voyages in the coastal waters of north-west Europe. David co-authored a popular textbook on oceanography together with David Thomas, Introducing Oceanography (Dunedin Academic Press, 2012).
    
Emyr Martyn Roberts is a researcher at the Department of Biological Sciences and the K.G. Jebsen Centre for Deep Sea Research at the University of Bergen. He has a Ph.D. in Physical Oceanography and his research is centred on how physical phenomena in the sea influence the distribution of flora and fauna at the seabed. He has written peer-reviewed scientific articles about tides and has participated in research cruises in the Pacific, Arctic, and Indian Oceans, and in numerous coastal seas of the North East Atlantic. He currently works on a large, EU-funded project studying deep-sea sponges.

"This is an interesting and well written book that provides an invaluable introduction to all things tidal ... This is most certainly a book I would recommend to any oceanography students, or indeed physical geography students keen to get an understanding of tides and their importance in marine, coastal and estuarine environments." - Robert A. Francis, Progress in Physical Geography

Product details

ISBN : 9780198826637

Author: 
David George Bowers; Emyr Martyn Roberts
Pages
160 Pages
Format
Paperback
Size
111 x 174 mm
Pub date
Nov 2019
Series
Very Short Introductions
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Tides: A Very Short Introduction [#621]

Tides: A Very Short Introduction [#621]

Tides: A Very Short Introduction [#621]