Speaker
Description
Gravity is a fundamental interaction that causes mutual attraction between all objects with mass. Despite being the weakest of the known fundamental forces, it is the most significant one between macroscopic objects, determining the motion of celestial bodies. While the common description assumes point-mass objects, celestial bodies such as the Earth are not. As a result, the gravitational attraction from an external body on an extended body is not uniform, which is a reason for tides.
Astronomy and planetary sciences have a strong interest in the tidal deformation, disruption, or dismantling of all kinds of celestial bodies, such as planets, comets, stars, or even whole galaxies. On Earth, which is of particular interest to geophysicists, tides are primarily generated by two bodies: the Moon and the Sun. They manifest as well-known ocean tides - the rise and fall of sea levels, frequently referred to as simply "tides". These tides play a major role in shaping our climate, and they influence marine ecosystems. However, they also exist as solid Earth or crustal tides, sometimes named Earth body tides. The Earth's body deforms because it is elastic (like a ball); therefore, the repetitive smooth displacement of the solid surface - with semidiurnal amplitude even up to 50 cm - takes place all the time. These tides interrupt geodetic measurements and geophysical exploration. Both ocean tides and body tides are still not well investigated, making them difficult to predict accurately, despite the tidal force being well understood in celestial mechanics (astronomy).
I will introduce you to tides and show their power in the universe. I will demonstrate what tides cause on Earth and explain in detail the complexity they bring. To sum up, the applications of tides, tidal analysis, and gravimetry will be unveiled.
