Tidal-induced resonance in an ocean or marginal basin, acted upon by the Coriolis Effect (q.v.), causes successive tidal highs and lows to rotate about a nodal point in what is known as an amphidromic system. Progression of the tides is counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere, with the systems in some basins varying slightly in their location with the changing seasons (King, 1972; Bird, 1976).
Cotidal lines , radiating outward from the nodal point, connect equivalent stages—that is, high or low—of the tide. Corange lines , concentric around the nodal point, connect locales of equal tidal range or amplitude. At the center the nodal point or amphidromic point , a tideless condition exists.
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References
Bird, E. C. F., 1976. Coasts. Canberra: Australian National University Press, 282p.
King, C. A. M., 1972. Beaches and Coasts. New York: St. Martin's Press, 570p.
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© 1982 Hutchinson Ross Publishing Company
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Mosetti, F., Schwartz, M.L. (1982). Amphidromic systems . In: Beaches and Coastal Geology. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-30843-1_13
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-30843-1_13
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