Communities

Writing
Writing
Codidact Meta
Codidact Meta
The Great Outdoors
The Great Outdoors
Photography & Video
Photography & Video
Scientific Speculation
Scientific Speculation
Cooking
Cooking
Electrical Engineering
Electrical Engineering
Judaism
Judaism
Languages & Linguistics
Languages & Linguistics
Software Development
Software Development
Mathematics
Mathematics
Christianity
Christianity
Code Golf
Code Golf
Music
Music
Physics
Physics
Linux Systems
Linux Systems
Power Users
Power Users
Tabletop RPGs
Tabletop RPGs
Community Proposals
Community Proposals
tag:snake search within a tag
answers:0 unanswered questions
user:xxxx search by author id
score:0.5 posts with 0.5+ score
"snake oil" exact phrase
votes:4 posts with 4+ votes
created:<1w created < 1 week ago
post_type:xxxx type of post
Search help
Notifications
Mark all as read See all your notifications »
Q&A

Can deep wave action be partially predicted by lunar phases?

+0
−0

Where I walk weekly (Del Monte Beach in Monterey, California), I beachcomb for shells, glass, and particularly stones. Most of what gets cast up is rather dull and uninteresting - gray and black rocks of no particular noteworthiness.

However, there are always at least some gemlike little rocks of various hues: yellow, green, white, orange, caramel and chocolate brown, reddish-brown, pale blue, etc. These are often well-worn and oval.

Every foray differs from the previous (quantity and "quality" of what gets thrown onto the strand by the relentless waves), yet certain stretches tend to have a consistent concentration of these gemlike stones.

I reckon quantity is determined by the strength of the tide, so full moon and new moon can be expected to produce a good harvest.

Storms would be another factor, obviously.

I assume when certain deposits are washed up, it's because the waves are "digging deep" in certain locations on the ocean floor where these types of stones tend to be concentrated.

So I can predict in a small way what portion of the beach will produce which type of stone; is it possible to predict with a greater certainty which area of the bay is going to get scooped out based on lunar phases and weather patterns?

Basically I'm wondering why certain spots on the ocean floor are "reaped" on one occasion but not on another. Is it such a complicated interplay that it can't possibly be predicted?

History
Why does this post require attention from curators or moderators?
You might want to add some details to your flag.
Why should this post be closed?

This post was sourced from https://outdoors.stackexchange.com/q/13275. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

0 comment threads

1 answer

+0
−0

The ocean floor is almost entirely undisturbed by waves - What you are finding comes from the coastal littoral.

You can gain some general estimates from direction and strength of storms, but the movement of the sea is chaotic overall. Oceanographers can make general statistical predictions, but there is just too much to track.

Read this article on the 28,000 ducks that were lost in the Pacific 24 years ago to gain some insight into just how variable movement of water is.

History
Why does this post require attention from curators or moderators?
You might want to add some details to your flag.

0 comment threads

Sign up to answer this question »