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The dates of spring tides and neap tides, approximately seven days apart, can be determined by the heights of the tides on the classic tide tables: a small range indicates neaps and large indicates springs. This cycle of tides is linked to the phases of the moon, with the highest tides (spring tides) occurring near full moon and new moon.
Mean ranges near coasts vary from near zero to 11.7 metres (38.4 feet), [4] with the range depending on the volume of water adjacent to the coast, and the geography of the basin the water sits in. Larger bodies of water have higher ranges, and the geography can act as a funnel amplifying or dispersing the tide. [5]
A chart datum is generally derived from some tidal phase, in which case it is also known as a tidal datum. [1] Common chart datums are lowest astronomical tide (LAT) [1] and mean lower low water (MLLW). In non-tidal areas, e.g. the Baltic Sea, mean sea level (MSL) is used. [2] A chart datum is a type of vertical datum and must not be confused ...
Tidal flow timings and velocities appear in tide charts or a tidal stream atlas. Tide charts come in sets. Each chart covers a single hour between one high water and another (they ignore the leftover 24 minutes) and show the average tidal flow for that hour. An arrow on the tidal chart indicates the direction and the average flow speed (usually ...
For instance the chart for 3 hours after high water is valid from HW+2½ to HW+3½, not from HW+3 to HW+4. [2] Tidal atlases may provide additional information for areas such as estuaries where it important to calculate tides away from the ports. Such information may include co-tidal range information [3] and time differences. [4]
Tide tables forecast the time of the next high water. [6] [7] The difference between these two times is the lunitidal interval. This value can be used to calibrate tide clock and wristwatches to allow for simple but crude tidal predictions. Unfortunately, the lunitidal intervals vary day-by-day even at a given location.
Slack tide or slack water is the short period in a body of tidal water when the water is completely unstressed, and there is no movement either way in the tidal stream. It occurs before the direction of the tidal stream reverses. [1] Slack water can be estimated using a tidal atlas or the tidal diamond information on a nautical chart. [2]
On nautical charts, the top of the chart is always true north, rather than magnetic north, towards which a compass points. Most charts include a compass rose depicting the variation between magnetic and true north. However, the use of the Mercator projection has drawbacks. This projection shows the lines of longitude as parallel.