Tides of the Caribbean Sea

Abstract

Analysis of tidal characteristics from 45 gauge locations indicates that the Caribbean Sea hs a microtidal range, for the most part between 10 and 20 cm. The tide is primarily either mixed semidiurnal or mixed diurnal but a substantial section from Puerto Rico to Venezuela experiences diurnal tides. Empirical charts of six component tides (M2, S2, N2, K1, O1, and P1) show local detail of phase and amplitude. Each of the semidiurnal compnent tides is characterized by anticlockwise rotating amphidromes centered in the eastern Caribbean. There is evidence of strong radiational forcing of the S2 tide in the southwestern Caribbean. The diurnal component tides are largely uniform in both phase and amplitude for most of the western and central Caribbean. However, the diurnal phases increase rapidly toward the northwest and the Yucatan Channel.