the shrewdness of apes

today's science lesson centers on tides, specifically the stronger spring tides that occur when the moon and sun align with the earth, thereby magnifying their gravitational effect on the ocean. they have nothing to do with the season of spring - which is too bad because for the second year in a row, winter will not release its icy grip on our collective (figurative) balls - and they are the opposite of neap tides which are weaker tides caused by sun and moon perpedicularity resulting in competing forces that weaken the tides.

this is relevant only because the East River was at the lowest point i've ever seen today as evidenced by the picture below left. normally you can't see anything above the water line, but today you could see the river floor in all its glory and the smell of sea and sulfur was particularly pungent. despite the smell and the significant quantities of junk that has been dumped over the years, the seagulls seemed pretty happy as they were out in record numbers eating up whatever it was that the ultra-low tide had unearthed (unwatered?).

taken ~ 2:15pm

in the image on the right, you can see the beach that has formed and is now a permanent spot that attracts sunbathers every summer (seriously). you can see the lines in the sand that demarcate some of the normal tidal extremes. today, it was big enough that it could have had 40-50 people out there.

learn more about tides or The Tyde.