Present day: Tides in a changing climate

Tides affect numerous processes in the coastal oceans, the shallow shelf seas, and the deep ocean. As tides are highly sensitive to water depth changes, it is likely that tidal dynamics were strongly affected by the large sea-level fluctuations that took place through the late Pleistocene (~400ka to present). In this chapter, we provide an overview of how tidal dynamics changed over the Last Glacial Cycle and discuss the considerable differences in tidal amplitudes and dissipation and their implications for climate processes during the Last Glacial Maximum when sea-level was ~130m lower than at present. Presenting new tidal simulations, we show how tidal dynamics evolved through the Last Deglacial and Holocene and provide an overview of the tidal changes that are occurring at present. The chapter concludes with a discussion of potential future changes in tidal dynamics and their effects.