Beesker recommends 'National Oceanic & Atmospheric
Administration' as the world's
best website on tides & currents
ABOUT 'NATIONAL OCEANIC & ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION'
The
National Oceanic & Atmospheric
Administration publishes a website on Tides and Currents. It is organized
into the following six sections: Introduction, Astronomical Tide-Producing
Forces, Differential Tide-Producing Forces, Variations in the Ranges of the
Tides, Local Height and Times of Tides, and Prediction of Tides.
The website explains that the earth's gravitational force acts inwards to hold
the water of the oceans to its surface, but the gravitational forces of the moon
and the sun also act on the earth's ocean waters. They exert tractive forces,
which tend to draw the ocean waters to positions on the earth's surface directly
below them, creating tidal movements. These points are known as sublunar and
subsolar points.
The website includes a zoomable map of the coastline around the USA, linked to a
database of information on Tide Data, Tide Predictions, and Historic Tide Data
for numerous observation points.