Does Lunar Gravity Affect Lake Water Levels?

[rollcast]

Does the grav pull of the moon affect the water level in enclosed lakes?

 

[fzero]

Does the grav pull of the moon affect the water level in enclosed lakes?

Yes it does, but since the change in elevation due to the tides is (approximately) proportional to the average depth of the water, it is very small for most lakes.

 

[AlephZero]

The relatively large amplitude of ocean tides around coastlines is caused by two effects.

1. The interaction of the long-period "tidal wave" with the shallow depth (which is exactly the same as for wind-driven waves, except orders of magnitude slower). This is the main cause of the high tidal range in shallow estuaries.

2. The particular shapes of sea areas (e.g the varying width of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans with latitude) allow standing waves to form with periods close to the main tidal excitiation frequencies. This can cause large variations in the amplitudes of tidal compoents with periods close to 12 and 24 hours. (The idea that "the moon causes two tides per day" is a gross oversimplification of actually happens in many parts of the world).

Most lakes are much too small for either of these effects to be significant, and the magnitude of solar and lunar tides would be of the order of a few mm at most.

 

[rollcast]

Thank guys, was just to settle an arguement

 

[pmacias]

Yes, the gravitational pull of the moon does affect the water level in enclosed lakes. This phenomenon is known as lunar tides. The moon's gravity creates a bulge in the Earth's oceans, causing high tides and low tides. This same effect also occurs in smaller bodies of water, such as lakes. When the moon is directly overhead or on the opposite side of the Earth, it exerts a stronger gravitational force on the water in the lake, causing it to bulge and create higher water levels. This can be observed in the form of higher tides in coastal lakes. However, the effect of lunar gravity on lake water levels is not as significant as it is on ocean tides due to the smaller size and depth of lakes. Other factors such as wind and atmospheric pressure can also influence lake water levels. Overall, the gravitational pull of the moon does have a noticeable impact on the water levels in enclosed lakes.