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THE TIDAL SYSTEM OF LAKE MARACAIBO, VENEZUELA1

1961; Wiley; Volume: 6; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.4319/lo.1961.6.1.0001

1939-5604

Alfred C. Redfield,

Geological and Tectonic Studies in Latin America

The tides of the Lake Maracaibo system are attributable to a standing wave produced by tidal waves entering from the Gulf of Venezuela and their reflection from the head of the lake. A node for the semidiurnal constituents occurs in the northern part of the lake. An antinode for the semidiurnal constituents occurs in Tablazo Bay, and this antinode may be presumed to coincide with the node of the diurnal constituents. When the dimensions of the basin and friction are taken into account by the step‐by‐step integration of finite difference equations for continuity and gravitational acceleration, estimates of tidal elevations and currents agree approximately with those observed. The presence of significant rotary tidal currents in Lake Maracaibo or effects of the rotation of the earth on the tide is excluded. The influence of the antinode in Tablazo Bay on sedimentation and on the exclusion of salt water from the lake are discussed.