Definition
Laplace's approach models the tide as a forced long wave responding to the tide-generating potential but constrained by basin geometry, depth, friction and Coriolis deflection. It explains why real tides propagate as progressive and standing waves, why the range varies enormously between coasts, and why high water rarely coincides with the Moon's transit. Resonance occurs where a basin's natural period approaches the forcing period, as in the Bay of Fundy.
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