Tides

berengar

Hi can someone clear up this little argument i have ,

Are tides in the mediterrenean ALWAYS high in the afternoon and low in the morning ?

My girlfriend thinks this but im 99% sure its like it is everywhere else
as in it cycles about an hour each day ?

However someone else mentioned that tides were different in the med ?

Sev

I don't know much about this.. but I was kind of intrigued so I did a quick google search.. and came across this page..

http://www.lifesciences.napier.ac.uk/teaching/Env/Med4.htm

which says...

However, the Mediterranean basins are the wrong size to resonate to the Sun amd Moon attractions, and so its astronomical tides are small;
However, sea-level can change by up to a metre as a result of changes in the distribution of atmospheric pressure. This is called the meteorological tide, and itseffects can be seen on the shore around Marseille;
meteorological tides are much less regular than astronomical tides; they typically have periods of a few days;

So I guess there is definitely some truth in what your girlfriend says. The effect of the astronomical tides are still there, but it must be minimal compared to other environmental factors?

Sev

i guess it kind of makes sense.. because in order for the sea level in the mediteranean to lower, ALL the water must flood out through the strait of gibraltar which is fairly narrow.