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How To Use The Tide Tables: Method To Find Times or Heights of High and Low Waters

The document provides instructions for using tide tables to find tidal information at secondary ports. It explains that tidal times and heights are listed for standard ports and can be adjusted for secondary ports using time differences and range ratios listed in supplementary tables. An example calculation is shown where tidal predictions for a standard port are adjusted based on secondary port adjustment factors to determine the tidal times and heights for that particular secondary port on a given date.

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)

209 views2 pages

How To Use The Tide Tables: Method To Find Times or Heights of High and Low Waters

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joeven64

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HOW TO USE THE TIDE TABLES

METHOD TO FIND TIMES OR HEIGHTS OF HIGH AND LOW WATERS

STANDARD PORTS
The times and heights of high and low water are tabulated for every day of the year. The zone time used for the predicted
times is the Standard Time for the port and is indicated at the top of each page. The heights are shown in metres referred
to the Chart Datum of the port concerned.

TIDAL INFORMATION

SECONDARY PORTS
The times of high and low water are obtained by applying the time differences tabulated in the Secondary Ports Table to
the daily predictions for the designated Standard Port. A negative time difference will give an earlier time than that for the
Standard Port and a positive one a later time.
The heights of high and low water are obtained by multiplying the height predictions for the designated Standard Port by
the range ratio value for the Secondary Port.
Predictions for the Standard Ports include the seasonal variations. Since the same seasonal variations apply to the
designated Secondary Ports, they are allowed for in the final result and there is no need to apply them separately when
using the method described below.
The techniques used to obtain the times and heights of high and low water at Secondary Ports are explained in detail in
the following instruction and examples. The use of the calculation form on the following page is demonstrated by way of
an example and a blank form is provided for further use.
EXAMPLE
Find the times and heights of high and low waters at Secondary Port on 1 September, using the following extracts:
Extract from Secondary Ports Table :
Mean Time Differences
Port

Mean Spring, Neap and Sea Level Heights (metres)

MHWS

MHWN

MLWN

MLWS

MSL

STANDARD PORT

hhmm

3.2

2.8

0.8

0.5

1.92

Secondary Port

-0022

+0032

2.3

2.1

0.6

0.3

1.3

Range
Ratio

0.74

Extract from Predictions: STANDARD PORT

1
FRI

SEPTEMBER
Time

NOTE:

0316

0.4

0941

3.3

1546

0.6

The data used in this example does not

refer to the year of these tables nor
to any particular ports.

2207

3.1

DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS
Note: This method produces heights for Secondary Ports referred to Chart Datum. Users will need to apply a
suitable correction if another datum is required.
1. Obtain predicted times and heights of high and low waters at the Standard Port, enter them in box 1 (Times) and 2 (Heights).
2. Obtain the MSL value for the Standard Port from the Secondary Port Tables, enter it in box 3 (MSL).
3. Subtract the MSL value for the Standard Port in box 3 from the predictions in box 2, enter results in box 4. (N.B. the
HW column should have positive values, the LW column negative values.)
4. Obtain data for the Secondary Port from the Secondary Port Tables and enter time differences in box 5, MSL in box 6,
range ratio in box 7.
5. Multiply the figures in box 4 by the range ratio in box 7, enter the corresponding products in box 8.
6. Algebraically add the time differences for the Secondary Port in box 5 to the predicted times for the Standard Port in
box 1, enter the results in box 9. THESE ARE THE TIMES OF HIGH AND LOW WATER FOR THE SECONDARY PORT.
7. Algebraically add the values in box 8 to the MSL value for the Secondary Port in box 6, enter the results in box 10.
THESE ARE THE HEIGHTS OF HIGH AND LOW WATER FOR THE SECONDARY PORT.

TIDAL INFORMATION | New Zealand Nautical Almanac 2014 15

CALCULATION FORM
(2) Heights
LW

0941

0316

3.3

0.4

2207

1546

3.1

0.6

(4) Predicted Height - MSL

1.4

-1.5

(2) - (3)

1.2

-1.3

Standard
Port Data

(5) Time Diffs

Secondary
Port Data

-0022

+0032

(8) Calculations

1.0

-1.1

(4) x (7)

0.9

-1.0

Secondary
Port
Results

(9) Times

(10) Heights

(1) + (5)

(6) + (8)

0919

0348

2.3

0.2

2145

1618

2.2

0.3

(1) Times
HW

Standard
Port Data

(2) Heights
LW

(3) MSL

1.9

(6) MSL

(7) Range Ratio

1.3