Tides and Tidal Bores — 17 Sep 2025

This lecture will discuss how tides and tidal bores have affected humankind throughout history, including their impact on warfare from ancient times up to the present, and then provide an overview of the science behind these phenomena.  This will include a discussion of how tides are predicted and what determines their nature, and an examination of what governs the presence or absence of tidal bores.  The lecture will end with some exciting video footage of surfers riding the very impressive “Silver Dragon” tidal bore on the Qiantang River in China.

Mike Clancy served as the Technical and Scientific Director of the U.S. Navy’s Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center (FNMOC) until his retirement in 2011.  He is a founding member of the Monterey Bay Defense Alliance (MBDA),  a reporter for local news media, and contributed to the Leon Panetta Lecture Series. He is a frequent lecturer on climate change and serves as Chair of the Monterey Chapter of the Citizens’ Climate Lobby.