Abstract
TIDAL FRICTION AND THE LUNAR ACCELERATION.—Mr. G. I. Taylor contributed a paper to Phil. Trans., A vol. ccxx., on tidal friction in the Irish Sea, from which it appeared that fifty Irish Seas would provide sufficient dissipation of energy to account for the secular acceleration of the moon. Dr. H. Jeffreys returns to the subject in Phil. Trans., A, vol. ccxxi., examining the various seas where such action is probable, and obtaining details of tides and currents from Admiralty publications. The seas that contribute most are largely enclosed, but an opening is required sufficient to admit the tide. The Mediterranean, Red, and Baltic Seas are thus excluded. Bering Sea is by far the largest contributor. It is concluded that two-thirds of the total action takes place there. The Yellow Sea, Malacca Strait, and the American North-AVest Passage come next. The famous tides of the Bay of Fundy contrifeute somewhat less than the Irish Sea.
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Our Astronomical Column. Nature 106, 515 (1920). https://doi.org/10.1038/106515a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/106515a0