Understanding the Tides

Tidal ranges in the seas around the old trading harbours of Europe are frequently very considerable and often ships may be able to dock only at certain states of the tide. Sea trade, particularly to river ports, goes back many hundreds of years so there must have been tide tables of some sort for many years. Had tides been more significant in the Mediterranean, then no doubt the Greeks would have analysed them and maybe even solved most of the problems for us. As it was, the great European minds of the 16th and 17th centuries were able to ponder significantly on the causes of these phenomena. After a look at the historical importance of tidal prediction, the book considers tide generating mechanisms and some of the key historical figures who have contributed to understanding the tides. Tidal prediction by harmonic fitting to existing records is next discussed and examples given with plots showing how predictions can be built up. Comprehensive references are given.