3. The tides

#### 3.1 Introduction

The tides in ES are mixed, and thus are similar to those found elsewhere along the California coast. The form ratio for the tides in Monterey Bay is 0.96, indicating that the tides are mainly semidiurnal. A characteristic of the tides in ES is that the greatest tidal range during the tidal day corresponds to the transition from MHHW to MLLW. This is an important factor that determines in part the relative speeds of the ebb and flood currents. The mean range of the semidiurnal tide for the four principal tidal constituents (K1 + O1 + M2 + N2) at the Highway 1 Bridge (H1B) is about 1.2 m, with a mean diurnal range of 1.7 m. The spring range is about 2.5 m, while the neap range is about 0.9 m [12].
