Hugh Aldersey-Williams’s scholarly survey of the history of tides,from the Bristol Channel to the Bay of Fundy, is enlighteningThe subtitle of this book gives pause. The greatest force on soil? Typhoons, or volcanos and earthquakes humbled by a few metres’ change in the level of seawater? There is slight in the early chapters to enforce the claim. Hugh Aldersey-Williams begins with a trip to the shore near his Norfolk home,preparing the reader for Nature’s greatest marine performance”. The action begins an hour or so after high water. The tide ebbs. Twelve hours and 30 minutes later it has returned and started to descend again. The author notes froth, gulls and vegetation. Subsequent journeys to Venice to observe work on the lagoon’s tidal barrage, or the Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia to watch a tidal bore roll up the Shubenacadie river are not thrilling. Related: The power and glory of tides – in pictures When the world was young,and the moon closer to it, tides were much higher, and faster and more ferociousContinue reading...
Source: theguardian.com