The Second Red Pill - Seasonal Peak Spring Tides

Red Pill 2 is large!

But the rewards are great if you manage to get it down!!

[Please click on the "RED PILL 1" link if you haven't read this red pill.]

RED PILL 1 The influence of cycles in the atmospheric lunar tides upon the Earth's atmospheric pressure can be re-inforced (i.e weaponized) if they constructively interfere with the annual seasonal cycle. 

RED PILL 2 If the lunisolar atmospheric tides that are associated with the Peak Seasonal Spring Tides play a role in influencing the Earth's atmospheric pressure, you should see variations in this pressure that occur at intervals of 3.8-year (= 1/5th the Metonic Cycle).  

There are four factors that can affect the strength of seasonal peak tides i.e. peaks in the lunisolar tides that align with the seasons:

1. The proximity of the Earth/Moon system to the Sun. 

2. The relative position of the Moon with respect to the Sun i.e. the Moon's phase. 

3. The proximity of a New/Full Moon to one of the nodes of the lunar orbit. 

4. The proximity of a New/Full Moon to the perigee/apogee of the lunar orbit. 

This large red-pill post will specifically deal with the factors that affect the strength of Seasonal Peak Spring Tides i.e. factors 1 and 2.

GLOSSARY OF IMPORTANT TERMS

The synodic month = 29.5305889 days. The time required for the Moon to go from one New/Full moon to the next New/Full moon.

The tropical year = 365.2421897 days. The length of the seasonal year.

A. The Proximity of the Earth/Moon System to the Sun  

Due to the elliptical nature (e = 0.0167) of the Earth's orbit, the distance of the Earth/Moon system from the Sun varies between an aphelion (i.e. furthest distance) of 152.1 million km around July 04th to a perihelion (i.e. closest distance) of 147.1 million km on January 3rd. This means that the strength of lunisolar tidal forces near January 03rd are noticeably enhanced compared to those that are near July 04th. Hence, the effects of any long-term seasonal peak tides upon atmospheric pressure will naturally be enhanced if these peak tides are aligned with the date of perihelion. 

B. The Relative Position of the Moon With Respect to the Sun i.e. the Moon's phase

What are Spring Tides?

They are higher than normal tides that occur twice every lunar synodic month (= 29.53 days), whenever the Sun, Earth, and Moon are co-aligned at either New or Full Moon. 

It turns out that 12 1/2 synodic months are 3.890171 days longer than one tropical year (N.B. from this point forward, the word “year” will mean one tropical or seasonal year = 365.2421897 days unless indicated). 

Hence, if a spring tide occurs on a given day of the year, 3.796 years will pass before another spring tide occurs on roughly the same day of the year. 

This is true because 3.796 years is the number of years it takes for, the 3.890171 days per year slippage between 12 1/2 synodic months and the tropical year, to accumulate to half a synodic month of 14.7652944 days.

In the real world, it turns out that Spring Tides occur on roughly the same day of the year once every:

3 years

3 + 4 = 7 years

3 + 4 + 4 = 11 years

3 + 4 + 4 + 4 = 15 years

3 + 4 + 4 + 4 + 4 years = 19 years

[N.B. The 3-year spacing can occur at any point in the 19-year Metonic Cycle sequence] 

with the 3:4:4:4:4-year spacing pattern [which has an average spacing of (3 + 4 + 4 + 4 + 4)/5 = 3.8 years], repeating itself after a period of almost exactly 19 years. The 19.0-year period is known as the Metonic cycle. This cycle results from the fact that 235 Synodic months = 6939.688381 days = 19.000238 Tropical years. 

Displayed below is a real-life example of one Metonic Cycle between 1996 and 2015. 

YEAR____PHASE____DATE____TIME____GAP IN YEARS

1996_____FM_______Sept 27____02:51____ 0 years

1999_____FM_______Sept 25____10:53____ 3 years

2003_____NM_______Sept 26____03:09____ 3 + 4 years = 7 years

2007_____FM_______Sept 26____19:47____ 3 + 4 + 4 years = 11 years

2011_____NM_______Sept 27____11:09____ 3 + 4 + 4 + 4 years = 15 years

2015_____FM_______Sep 28_____02:52____ 3 + 4 + 4 + 4 + 4 years =  19 years

Hence, If the lunisolar atmospheric tides that are associated with the Peak Seasonal Spring Tides play a role in influencing the Earth's atmospheric pressure, you should see variations in this pressure that occur at 3.8-year (= 1/5th the Metonic Cycle) intervals.

References:

Wilson, I.R.G., Lunar Tides and the Long-Term Variation of the Peak Latitude Anomaly of the Summer Sub-Tropical High-Pressure Ridge over Eastern Australia, The Open Atmospheric Science Journal, 2012, 6, 49-60

http://benthamopen.com/ABSTRACT/TOASCJ-6-49