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Glossary
Important Notice:
This glossary contains the list of terms and expressions (in French and in English) appearing on this WEB site, and the definitions for each of these terms. Also available in this glossary are lists of acronyms and their meaning in French and in English. The definitions and acronyms in this glossary were compiled from the IHO (International Hydrographic Organisation) Hydrographic Dictionary and from the Canadian Tidal Manual produced by the Canadian Hydrographic Service.
Instructions:
Select the first letter of the term or expression you are looking for...
- Aphelion / Aphélie
- The orbital point farthest from the Sun when the Sun is the center of attraction, as opposed to perihelion.
- Amphidromic point / Point amphidromique
- A no-tide point, from which cotidal lines radiate.
- Amplitude / Amplitude
- In physics, the maximum departure of a wave or other periodic phenomenon
from the average or zero position.
In tide terminology, the semi-range of the harmonic constituent. - Apogean tides or tidal currents / Aphelion
- Tides of decreased range or currents of decreased speed occurring monthly when the Moon is near apogee.
- Apogee / Apogée
- That orbital point farthest from the Earth when the Earth is the center of attraction, as opposed to the Perigee.
- Bench mark (BM) / Repère de nivellement
- A permanent, stable object containing a marked point of known elevation with respect to a datum used as a reference level for tidal observations or as a control point for levelling. A tidal bench mark is one near a tide station to which the tide staff and tidal datums are referred. A primary bench mark is the principal (or only) mark of a group of tidal bench marks to which the tide staff and tidal datums are referred. The standard tidal bench mark of the Canadian Hydrographic Service is a brass, bronze, or aluminum alloy disk.
- Bore (Tidal Bore) / Mascaret
- A high breaking wave of water, advancing rapidly up an estuary. bores
can occur at the mouths of shallow rivers if the tide range at the mouth
is large. They can also be generated in a river when tsunamis enter shallow
coastal water and propagate up the river. Also called eager, mascaret,
or tidal bore.
Moncton Bore
- Chart datum (CD) / Zéro des cartes (ZC) ou niveau de référence des cartes
- Chart Datum is the plane of vertical reference to which all charted
depths and drying heights are related. In non-tidal waters, it is also
the vertical datum for elevations and clearances. It is chosen to show
the least depth of water found in any place under "normal" meteorological
conditions; it shall be a plane so low that the water level will seldom
fall below it. The surface of CD will vary from place to place with
the range of tide or, in non-tidal waters, with the slope of the river
at low stage. In non-tidal lakes, CD is normally a single level surface
over the whole lake.
- Classification of tides / Classification des marées
- Tides are frequently classified according to the diurnal inequality
they display, as a means of providing a simple description of character
of the tide in various regions. The formal classification is usually
made on the basis of the ratio of some combination of the diurnal harmonic
constituents over a combination of the semidiurnal constituents. The
purpose of defining a ratio is to automate the classification once
the constituents are known, avoiding the need to scan long periods
of record visually. Regardless of the method used, the intent is to
classify tides into four groups, qualitatively described as follows:
- Semidiurnal (SD):
- two nearly equal HWs and two nearly equal LWs approximately uniformly spaced over each lunar day.
- Mixed, mainly semidiurnal (MSD):
- two HWs and two LWs each lunar day, but with marked inequalities in height and irregularities in spacing.
- Mixed, mainly diurnal (MD):
- sometimes two unequal HWs and LWs at irregular spacing over a lunar day, and sometimes only one HW and one LW in a day.
- Diurnal (D):
- only one HW and one LW each lunar day.
- Coriolis force / Force de coriolis
- Composite centrifugal force, due to the rotation of the Earth, which acts on moving particles, whose motion is considered relative to that of the Earth.
- Cotidal line / Ligne cotidale
- A line on chart passing through all points where High Water occurs at the same time.
- Counter current / Contre-courant
- A secondary current setting in a direction opposite to that of the main current.
- Crest / Crête
- The highest part of a wave, swell, ridge, etc...
- Current / Courant
- Generally, a horizontal movement of water. Currents may be classified as tidal and non-tidal. Tidal currents are caused by gravitational interactions between the Sun, Moon, and Earth and are part of the same general movement of the sea that is manifested in the vertical rise and fall, called tide. Tidal currents are periodic with a net velocity of zero over the particular tidal cycle. Non-tidal currents include the permanent currents in the general circulatory systems of the sea as well as temporary currents arising from more pronounced meteorological variability.
- Current meter / Courantomètre
- An instrument for measuring the speed and direction, or just the speed of a current. Current meters can be mechanical, electric, electromagnetic, acoustic, or combination thereof.
- Current station / Station de courantométrie
- The geographic location at which current observations are conducted. These may include a buoy, ground tackle, current meters, recording mechanism, and radio transmitter
- Datum / Élément de référence (Datum)
- Any numerical or geometrical quantity or set of such quantities which may serve as a reference or base for other quantities. In geodesy a datum is defined by a set of parameters specifying the reference surface or the reference coordinate system. Therefore two types of datums are required: a horizontal datum, which forms the basis for computations of horizontal control surveys in which the curvature of the Earth is considered, and a vertical datum, to which elevations are referred.
- Differences / Différences (Les)
- Differences are the adjustments which are applied to the predictions at a reference port or reference current station to obtain predictions at a secondary port or secondary current station.
- Diurnal inequality / Inégalité diurne
- The difference in height of the two high waters, or of the two low waters of each tidal day. Also, the difference in speed between the two flood tidal currents, or the two ebb currents of each tidal day. Diurnal inequality is sometimes called declinational inequality.
- Drift (current) / Courant de dérive
- A wide, slow-moving ocean current principally caused by winds.
- Duration of flood and duration of ebb / Durée du flot et durée du jusant
- Duration of flood is the interval of time in which a tidal current is flooding, and the duration of ebb is the interval in which it is ebbing; these intervals being reckoned from the middle of the intervening slack waters or minimum currents. Together they cover, on an average, a period of 12.42 hours for a semidiurnal tidal current or a period of 24.84 hours for a diurnal current. In a normal semidiurnal tidal current, the duration of flood and duration of ebb will each be approximately equal to 6.21 hours, but the times may be modified greatly by the presence of a non-tidal flow. In a river the duration of ebb is usually longer than the duration of flood because of the fresh water discharge, especially during the spring months when snow and ice melt are the predominant influences.
- Ebb current (ebb) / Courant de jusant
- The horizontal movement of water associated with the falling tide. Ebb currents generally set seaward, or in the opposite direction to the progression. Also called ebb, ebb current or outgoing stream.
- Ebb tide (Tide : Falling) / Reflux (Perdant - Marée descendante)
- The portion of the tide cycle between high water and the following low water. The opposite is rising tide.
- Ecliptic / Écliptique
- The great circle formed by the intersection of the plane of the Earth's orbit around the Sun (or apparent orbit of the Sun around the Earth) and the celestial sphere.
- Eddy / Tourbillon
- A circular movement of water usually formed, where currents pass obstructions, between two adjacent currents flowing counter to each other, or along the edge of a permanent current.
- Edge waves / Houle transversale
- An ocean wave travelling parallel to the coast, with crests normal to the coastline. Such a wave has a height that diminishes rapidly seaward and is negligible at a distance of one wavelength offshore.
- Equinoxes / Équinoxes
- The two points in the celestial sphere where the celestial equator intersects the ecliptic; also, the times when the Sun crosses the equator at these points. The vernal equinox is the point where the Sun crosses the Equator from south to north and it occurs about March 21. Celestial longitude is reckoned eastward from the vernal equinox. The autumnal equinox is the point where the Sun crosses the Equator from north to south and it occurs about September 23.
- Flood current (stream) / Courant de flot
- The horizontal movement of water associated with the rising tide. Flood streams generally set toward the shore, or in the direction of the tide progression. Also called flood, flood current or in going stream.
- Flood tide (Rising) / Flux
- The portion of the tide cycle between low water and the following high water. Also called flood tide. The opposite is falling tide.
- Geodetic datum / Système de référence géodésique
- A set of parameters specifying the reference surface or the reference coordinate system used for geodetic control in the calculation of coordinates of points on the Earth. Commonly datums are defined as horizontal and vertical datums separately. For a local geodetic datum the reference surface is defined by five parameters: the Latitude and longitude of an initial point, the azimuth of a line from this point, and the parameters of the reference spheroid. Absolute datums specify the initial point of the reference ellipsoid to be (ideally) located at the Earth's center of mass. For modern reference systems using datum information given by satellites additional parameters are defined, e.g. Gravity models.
- Harmonic analysis of tide / Analyse harmonique de la marée
- The mathematical process by which the observed tide at a place is analyzed by breaking it down into a number of constituent tides of simple periodic forces, each having a fixed period. in this process the Sun and Moon are replaced by a number of hypothetical tide-producing bodies which move in circular orbits around the Earth in the plane of the equator. See harmonic constants, harmonic constituent.
- Harmonic constants / Constantes harmoniques
- The amplitudes and epochs of the harmonic constituents of the tide, or tidal current at any place.
- Harmonic constituent / Composante harmonique de la marée
- One of the harmonic elements in a mathematical expression for the tide-producing force, and in corresponding formulae for the tide or tidal current. Each constituent represents a periodic change or variation in the relative positions of the Earth, Sun and Moon. also called tidal constituent or component.
- Harmonic prediction / Prédiction par la méthode harmonique
- In tidal terminology, the method of predicting tides and tidal currents by combining the harmonic constituents into a single curve. The work was usually done mechanically by a machine designed for this purpose, called a tide predicting machine; nowadays the work is done by computers.
- Height of Tide / Hauteur de la marée
- Height of tide is the vertical distance between the surface of the sea and Chart Datum. The total depth of water is found by adding the height of tide to the charted depth. For example, at a place where the chart shows 6 m (19.7ft.) and the predicted low water height is 1 m (3.3 ft.), then the actual depth over the seabed at low water will be 7 m (23 .0 ft.). In the case of some ports which are not navigable at low water and where vessels rest on keel blocks or mattresses during low tide, the heights of the tide are measured from those keel blocks or mattresses.
- High tide (H.W.) / Marée haute ou Pleine mer (P.M.)
- The highest level reached at a place by the water surface in one oscillation. Also called high water.
- Higher high water large tide (HHWLT) / Pleine mer supérieure, grande marée (PMSGM)
- The average of the highest high waters, one from each of 19 years of predictions.
- Higher high water mean tide (HHWMT) / Pleine mer supérieure, marée moyenne (PMSMM)
- The average from all the higher high waters from 19 years of predictions.
- International Great Lakes Datum (1985) [IGLD 1985] / Système de référence international des Grands Lacs (1985) [SRIGL 1985]
- A datum established by the Canada-USA Coordinating Committee on Great Lakes Basic Hydraulic and Hydrological Data, to provide a unified datum for use in hydraulic and hydrological studies on both sides of the border along the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River.
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- International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) / Organisation hydrographique internationale (OHI)
- The International Hydrographic Organization is an
intergovernmental consultative and technical organization that was established
in 1921 to support the safety in navigation and the protection of the
marine environment.
The object of the Organization is to bring about:
The coordination of the activities of national hydrographic offices;
The greatest possible uniformity in nautical charts and documents;
The adoption of reliable and efficient methods of carrying out and exploiting hydrographic surveys; The development of the sciences in the field of hydrography and the techniques employed in descriptive oceanography.
- Knot / Noud
- A division of the log line by which the ship's speed is measured. A nautical unit of speed. One knot is one nautical mile per hour. (1852.0 meters or 6076.115,49 international feet) per hour. The name is derived from the knots in the log line.
- Lagging of tide / Retard de la marée
- The periodic retardation in the time of occurrence of high and low water due to changes in the relative positions of the Moon and the Sun.
- Lipper / Clapotis
- Slight ruffling or roughness on a water surface. Light spray from small WAVES. Also called leaper.
- Lower low water large tide (LLWLT) / Basse mer inférieure, grande marée (BMIGM)
- The average of the lowest low waters, one from each of 19 years of predictions.
- Lower low water mean tide (LLWMT) / Basse mer inférieure, marée moyenne (BMIMM)
- The average of all the lower low waters from 19 years of predictions.
- Lowest normal tide (LNT) / Marée normale la plus basse (MNPB)
- In present usage it is synonymous with LLWLT, but on older charts it may refer to a variety of low water chart datums.
- Lunar tide / Marée lunaire
- That part of the tide due solely to the tide-producing forces of the Moon, as distinguished from that part caused by the forces of the Sun.
- Lunar day / Jour lunaire
- The duration of one rotation of the Earth on its axis, with respect to the Moon. Its average length is about 24h 50m of mean solar time. Also called tidal day. The duration of one rotation of the Moon on its axis, with respect to the Sun.
- Marigram / Marégramme
- Any graphic representation of the rise and fall of the tide. Time is generally represented by the absciss and the height of the tide by ordinates.
- Mean water level (MWL) / Niveau moyen de l'eau
- The average of all hourly water levels over the available period of record.
- Mixed (current) / Courant de marée mixte
- A type of tidal current characterized by a conspicuous difference in speed and duration between the two flood currents or two ebb currents occurring each tidal day.
- Mixed (tide) / Marée mixte
- A type of tide in which a diurnal wave produces large inequalities in heights and / or duration's of successive high and low waters. This term applies to the tides intermediate to those predominantly semidiurnal and those predominantly diurnal.
- Neap tides or tidal currents / Marée de morte-eau
- The tides of decreased range or tidal currents of decreased speed occurring near the times of the first and last quarters of the Moon.
- Overtide / Onde supérieure de marée
- A shallow water harmonic tide constituent with a speed that is a multiple of the speed of one of the basic constituents of the tide-producing force. See harmonic constituent, and shallow water constituent.
- Perigee / Périgée
- That orbital point nearest the Earth when the Earth is the center of attraction, as opposed to apogee.
- Perihelion / Périhélie
- That orbital point nearest the Sun, when the Sun is the center of attraction, as opposed to aphelion.
- Phases of the Moon / Phases de la Lune
- The various appearances of the Moon during different parts of the synodical month. The cycle begins with the new Moon or change of the Moon at conjunction. The visible part of the waxing Moon increases in size during the first half of the cycle, until the full Moon appears at opposition, after which the visible part of the waning Moon decreases for the remainder of the cycle. The first quarter occurs when the waxing Moon is at east quadrature, the last quarter when the waning Moon is at west quadrature. From the last quarter to the new and from the first quarter the Moon is crescent, from the first quarter to full and from full to last quarter it is gibbous.
- Quadrature of Moon / Quadrature de la Lune
- An elongation of 90° usually specified as east or west in accordance with the direction of the body from the Sun. The Moon is at quadrature at first and last quarters. See phases of the Moon. The situation of two periodic quantities differing by a quarter of a cycle.
- Race / Raz
- Swiftly flowing water in a narrow channel or river; also the channel itself which may be artificial as in a mill-race. Also a swift rush of water through a narrow channel in tidal waters and caused by the tidal movement of the waters. See tide race.
- Range of tide / Marnage
- The difference in height between consecutive high and low tides at a place. Also called tidal (or tide) range.
- Reduction of tides or tidal currents / Dépouillement des observations de marée
- A processing of observed tide or tidal current data to obtain mean values for tidal or tidal current constants.
- Reference station (ports) / Ports de référence
- A place where tide or tidal current constants have been determined from observations, and which is used as a standard for the comparison of simultaneous observations at a subordinate station. It is also a place for which independent daily predictions are given in the tide or tidal current tables, from which corresponding predictions are obtained for other locations by means of differences or factors.
The accuracy of the predictions for reference ports depends on the quantity and quality of the tidal constants used to compute them. These in turn are directly related to the length of the period of observations used in the harmonic analysis from which the constants were derived. Whenever the period of record permits, observations extending over at least one year are used. - Residual current / Courant résiduel
- The observed current minus the astronomical tidal current or the mean current without periodic components.
- Reversing current / Courant alternatif
- A tidal current which flows alternately in approximately opposite directions, with slack water at each reversal. Such currents occur principally in areas where motion is largely restricted to relatively narrow channels. Also called rectilinear current or rectilinear stream.
- Rip current / Courant sagittal
- A narrow intense current setting seaward through the surf zone. It removes the excess water brought to the zone by the small net mass transport of waves. It is fed by long shore currents. Rip currents usually occur at points, groins, jetties, etc., of irregular beaches, and at regular intervals along straight, uninterrupted beaches.
- Rise of tide / Hauteur de pleine mer
- The height of high water above datum. Also called tidal rise.
- Rotary current / Courant giratoire
- A tidal current that flows continually, with the direction of flow changing through 360° during a tidal cycle. Called rotary stream in British terminology.
- Secondary control tide station / Station secondaire (marée)
- A tide station at which continuous observations have been made over a minimum period of time. A secondary tide station is operated during a shorter period of time than a reference station to obtain data for a specific purpose.
- Secondary Ports / Ports secondaires
- Secondary ports are those for which time and height differences relative to a reference
port, or time differences and rate factors relative to a reference current station,
are provided.
The accuracy of the tidal differences for secondary ports also depends on the quality of the tidal constants used to compute them. In most cases however, the period of observations does not extend over one month and may be less. Their quality is, therefore, affected by the amount the tide levels fluctuated from normal, during that period, on account of meteorological conditions.
In addition, their accuracy is very dependent on the similarity between the characteristics of the tide at the secondary and reference ports. The tides at no two places in the world are identical so that even when their characteristics are similar, the secondary port predictions made by applying tidal differences can never be considered as accurate as the full predictions made for a reference port. Every effort has been made to compare reference and secondary ports which have similar tidal characteristics. However, because of the relatively small number of reference ports available this has not always been possible. The inaccuracies thus created are usually less than those caused by fluctuations in the tide levels due to meteorological conditions. - Seiche / Seiche
- A standing wave oscillation of an enclosed or semi-enclosed water body that continues, pendulum fashion, after the cessation of the originating force, which may have been either seismic, atmospheric, or wave induced.
- Shoreline (coastline) / Trait de côte
- The line where shore and water meet. Although the terminology of coasts and shores is rather confused, shoreline and coastline are generally used as synonymous.
- Slack water (slack or turn) / Étale de courant
- The interval when the speed of the tidal current is very weak or zero, usually refers to the period of reversal between ebb and flood currents. Can also be called slack tide.
- Solar tide / Marée solaire
- That part of the tide due solely to the tide-producing forces of the Sun, as distinguished from that part caused by the forces of the Moon.
- Solar time / Temps solaire
- Time based upon the rotation of the Earth relative to the Sun. See time: apparent solar, time: astronomical, time: civil, time: mean solar.
- Solstice / Solstice
- The solstice is one of the two points of the ecliptic farthest from the celestial equator; one of the two points on the celestial sphere occupied by the Sun at maximum north or south declination. That in the northern hemisphere, is called the summer solstice or first point of Cancer, and that in the southern hemisphere, the winter solstice or first point of Capricorn. Also called solsticial point. That instant at which the SUN reaches one of the solstices, about June 21 (summer solstice) or December 22 (winter solstice).
- Spring tide / Marée de vive-eau
- The tides of increased range occurring near the times of full moon and new moon. When those tides occurring near the equinoxes when the full or new moon and the sun have little or low declination and spring tides of greater range than the average occur, particularly if the moon is also nearly in perigee.
- Stand of tide / Étale de marée
- The condition at high tide or low tide when there is no change in the height of the water. It may be called high water stand if it occurs at the time of high tide, and low water stand if it occurs at low tide. Also called stand.
- Storm surge / Onde de tempête
- A rise above normal water level on the open coast due only to the action of wind stress on the water surface. Storm surge resulting from a hurricane or other intense storm also includes the rise in level due to atmospheric pressure reduction as well as that due to wind stress. A storm surge is more severe when it occurs in conjunction with a high tide. Also called storm tide, storm wave, tidal wave.
- Syzygy / Syzygie
- In astronomy, either of two opposing points in the orbit of a planet or satellite, especially of the Moon, at which it is in conjunction with or in opposition to the Sun. Position of the Moon when it is new or full.
- Tidal constants / Constantes de la marée
- Tidal relations that remain essentially constant for any particular locality. Tidal constants are classed as harmonic and non-harmonic, the harmonic constants consisting of the amplitudes and epochs, and the non-harmonic constants including those values determined directly from observations, such as tidal ranges and intervals.
- Tidal current / Courant de marée
- The alternating horizontal movement of water associated with the rise and fall of the tide caused by tide-producing forces. Also called tidal stream.
- Tidal difference / Correction de la marée
- Difference in time or height of a high or low water at a subordinate station and at a reference station for which predictions are given in the tide tables. The difference, when applied according to sign to the prediction at the reference station, gives the corresponding time or height for the subordinate station.
- Tidal wave / Raz de marée
- The wave motion of the tides. in popular usage, any unusually high (and therefore destructive) water level along a shore. It usually refers to either a storm surge or tSunami.
- Tide / Marée
- The periodic rise and fall of the surface of oceans, bays, etc., due principally to the gravitational interactions between the Moon, Sun and Earth.
- Tide curve / Courbe de marée
- Any graphic representation of the rise and fall of the tide. Time is generally represented by the abscissa and the height of the tide by ordinates. For normal tides the curve so produced approximates a sine curve. Also called Marigram.
- Tide (water level) gauge / Marégraphe - Marémètre
- A device for measuring the height of tide. a graduated staff in a sheltered area where visual observations can be made; or it may consist of an elaborate recording instrument making a continuous graphic record of tide height against time. such an instrument is usually actuated by a float in a pipe communicating with the sea through a small hole which filters out shorter waves.
- Tide-producing force(s) / Force(s) génératrice de la marée
- That part of the gravitational attraction of a celestial body which is effective in producing the tides on Earth. The Sun and Moon are the principal astronomic bodies that have a tide-producing effect. The force varies approximately as the mass of the attracting body and inversely as the cube of its distance. Also called tide-generating force.
- Tide reducer / Correction de marée
- The correction that must be applied to a recorded sounding for the height of tide above or below the datum of reference at the time of sounding.
- Tide rip(s) / Rides de courant de marée
- Small waves formed on the surface of water by the meeting of opposing tidal currents or by a tidal current crossing an irregular bottom. Vertical oscillation, rather than progressive waves, is characteristic of tide rips.
- Tide staff / Échelle de marée
- A tide gauge consisting of a vertical graduated pole from which the height of tide at any time can be read directly. Also called tide pole.
- Tide Tables / Tables des marées
- Tides tables provide predicted times and heights of the high and low waters associated with the vertical movement of the tide. These tables are necessary for obtaining the depth of water under the keel or over a shoal, for anchoring and for establishing the appropriate times for beaching a boat
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Canadian Tide and Current Tables index - Vol. 1 - Atlantic Coast and Bay of Fundy
Vol. 2 - Gulf St. Lawrence
Vol. 3 - St. Lawrence and Saguenay Rivers
Vol. 4 - Arctic and Hudson Bay
Vol. 5 - Juan de Fuca Strait and Strait of Georgia
Vol. 6 - Discovery Passage and West Coast of Vancouver Island
Vol. 7 - Queen Charlotte Sound to Dixon Entrance - Time Zones / Fuseaux horaires
- UTC (0) Coordinated Universal Time
NDT (+2.5) Newfoundland Daylight Time
NST (+3.5) Newfoundland Standard Time
ADT (+3) Atlantic Daylight Time
AST (+4) Atlantic Standard Time
EDT (+4) Eastern Daylight Time
EST (+5) Eastern Standard Time
CDT (+5) Central Daylight Time
CST (+6) Central Standard Time
MDT (+6) Mountain Daylight Time
MST (+7) Mountain Standard Time
PDT (+7) Pacific Daylight Time
PST (+8) Pacific Standard Time - Tsunami / Tsunami
- A long-period sea wave produced by a submarine earthquake or volcanic eruption. It may travel unnoticed across the ocean for thousands of miles from its point of origin. it builds up to great heights over shoal water. Also called tsunami, tidal wave, seismic sea wave.
- Vanishing tide / Marée évanescente
- The phenomenon occurring when a high and low water 'melt' together into a period of several hours with a nearly constant water level. The tide is in the diurnal category but is known as a 'vanishing tide'.
- Velocity (of current) / Vecteur vitesse (courant)
- A vector quantity equal to speed in a given direction. Speed and set of the current.
- Wave / Onde
- A disturbance which moves through or over the surface of the medium with speed dependent upon the properties of the medium.
- Wave height / Hauteur de houle (ou de vague)
- The vertical distance between crest and trough.
