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Name: Leigh B.
Status: student
Age: 50s
Location: N/A
Country: N/A
Date: 2001
Question:
Everyone is aware of the influence of the moon on ocean tides.

I assume that the moon also creates an atmospheric tide. Is this so and does a regular atmospheric pressure cycle appear on a barograph?

Further, does ground water rise and fall in a well in a cyclic fashion? Might this account for farmers "planting by the moon" because of higher levels of moisture in the soil at certain times?

Replies:
Leigh,

The atmosphere is affected to a very slight degree by the Moon. It is so small as to be indistinguishable in a standard barograph record.

Ground water does not form one elastic liquid medium, being part of the soil, so I suspect that it does not rise and fall in a well in response to the movements of the Moon, but I will defer to a hydrologist for a definitive answer.

David R. Cook
Atmospheric Research Section
Environmental Research Division
Argonne National Laboratory

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