Some of the first mechanical calculators were created to predict tides (~3 centuries ago), because they are a really complex thing that the popular explanations completely paper over and pretend it’s simply the water keeping pace with the Moon.
It’s shown like that because the water is trying to do that, to anthropomorphise it. Though of course that’s not what the water does everywhere because fluid dynamics get pretty nuts when there’s a ton of land in the way.
Also part of the tide is solar, if you see a highest high tide or lowest low tide, it is very likely it will be at a full or new moon as that is when the moon and sun are aligned, with the moon on one side or the other of Earth (or lagging that by days due to land getting in the way)
To expand on the idea, even weather effects the level of the tides rather significantly… For a clear example, look at hurricanes. They can approach double digits in feet of storm swell if they’re severe enough.
Some of the first mechanical calculators were created to predict tides (~3 centuries ago), because they are a really complex thing that the popular explanations completely paper over and pretend it’s simply the water keeping pace with the Moon.
It’s shown like that because the water is trying to do that, to anthropomorphise it. Though of course that’s not what the water does everywhere because fluid dynamics get pretty nuts when there’s a ton of land in the way.
Also part of the tide is solar, if you see a highest high tide or lowest low tide, it is very likely it will be at a full or new moon as that is when the moon and sun are aligned, with the moon on one side or the other of Earth (or lagging that by days due to land getting in the way)
To expand on the idea, even weather effects the level of the tides rather significantly… For a clear example, look at hurricanes. They can approach double digits in feet of storm swell if they’re severe enough.