Comment on “An oceanic basin oscillation-driving mechanism for tides” [Phys. Fluids 37 , 016617 (2025)]

Woodworth, Philip L. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6681-239X; Huthnance, John M. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3682-2896; Baker, Trevor F. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-5245-8311; Williams, Joanne ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8421-4481. 2025 Comment on “An oceanic basin oscillation-driving mechanism for tides” [Phys. Fluids 37 , 016617 (2025)]. Physics of Fluids, 37 (6). 10.1063/5.0266133

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Abstract/Summary

A recent paper in this journal by Yang15 (hereafter Y25) proposed an alternative way in which the ocean tides are generated, involving an oscillation-driving mechanism reminiscent of Galileo's theory.1 The conventional view, developed since the work of Isaac Newton, is that the ocean tide is generated by the gravitational forces of the Moon and Sun.13 These forces are given by the tidal potential.4 The actual ocean tide is then a hydrodynamic response to that potential, with the energy input to the ocean dissipated by bottom friction and internal processes. Numerical hydrodynamic models based on this set of physics have been successful in reproducing observed elevations and currents on a global basis, with an accuracy for elevations of the order of 4.8 cm for the predominant M2 tidal constituent.12 Support for this picture of gravitational forcing is also provided by observations of tides generated in large lakes and inland seas.9

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI):	10.1063/5.0266133
ISSN:	1070-6631
NORA Subject Terms:	Marine Sciences
Date made live:	10 Nov 2025 11:08 +0 (UTC)
URI:	https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/540532

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