11 – Ocean Tides. Part B: Tide Ranges and Lunar Phases
Science
Lunar Phases
Part B of the ocean tides exercise examines the relationship between tides and lunar phases, extending evaluation of the timing of highest high tides and lowest low tides and the variations in tidal ranges from Part A. It requires reference to lunar phases for the month of March, as illustrated by the Moon phases calendar (Lunar Phases (Links to an external site.) – requires selection of March from pull-down menu for months of the year), which is also shown below.
Question 1
When during the month of March 2019 (i.e. specific dates) are the highest tide ranges and the lowest tide ranges (i.e. the difference between successive high and low tides) observed for the tidal stations on the East Coast, Gulf Coast, West Coast and in the Pacific that were examined in Part A of the exercise? Was the timing for the highest and lowest tidal ranges comparable for all four regions and do they correspond with a specific lunar phase?
A strong answer will include specific reference to the tide ranges (timing and magnitude) for individual stations as examples, and describe similarities or differences in the timing of the highest and lowest tidal ranges for the four separate ocean regions, explicitly relate these characteristics to specific lunar phases.
