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>From: "Roger Carlson" <Roger_Carlson@at*.sp*.tr*.co*>
>Subject: tide calculation
>
>I've been trying to find a reference on how to calculate my own tide tables,
>since I am the lazy sort who finds it easier to do library searches and write
>computer programs (preferably for my Newton) than to just look in the paper.
>
[deleted]
>
>Anyway, this still may be easier than looking in the paper. I can't believe
>the people selling tide tables commercially would spend years measuring
>coefficients. This sounds to me like something NOAA or someone would do, in
>which case it might be possible to track down the equations and coefficients.
>Anybody out there have any ideas? Seen anything like this?
Roger,
This is something I looked into about a year ago.
Tide prediction is not simple. Here is some information I found at the time:
A tide prediction program is available from
the ftp site: atlantic.ocean.fsu.edu in the directory /pub/Tides
The source code (Quick Basic) is also there.
The documents with the package quote the following:
"The theory used in the TIDES program is given in:
Manual of Harmonic Analysis and Prediction of Tides
Paul Schureman
Coast and Geodetic Survey Special Publication No.98
U.S. Gov't. Printing Office, Washington D.C. 1941
This book has been reprinted recently and is available from NOS for $5.00.
A supplement to this document, "Computer Applications to Tides in the
National Ocean Survey" is also available from NOS at no cost."
Another reference I found is the following:
"Tides, surges and mean sea-level", D.T. Pugh, Wiley, 1987 (ISBN 0471-91505)
It explains the theory very well - as long as you are comfortable with the
mathematics!
Hope these references help.
I ended up giving up on the problem as I couldn't get accurate enough results
in the area I was interested in (I was specifically interested in slack
water times).
I discussed tide prediction with the local tide prediction centre in Australia
and they indicated that the published tidal constituents are a subset of
the values used to actually create the tables. The full set runs to many
hundreds of variables and is proprietary. There are also legal issues invovled
in tidal consistuents as the resulting predicitions are important in liability
cases where ships run aground unexpectedly.
Good luck,
Regards,
David.
______________________________________________________________________________
David Giddy, | Voice: +61 3 253 6388
Telstra Research Laboratories, | Fax: +61 3 253 6144
P.O. Box 249, Rosebank MDC, 3169, AUSTRALIA | Internet: d.giddy@tr*.oz*.au*
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