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Film gets tides wrong, geophysicist explains

A film about the Odyssey features a scene where Greeks inside a Trojan horse drown due to tides. However, the Mediterranean Sea, where the story takes place, does not have significant tides. A geophysicist explains why this is the case, citing the narrow Strait of Gibraltar and the resulting lack of tidal movement.

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The essential points

  1. 01The Mediterranean Sea does not have significant tides due to its narrow connection to the Atlantic Ocean.
  2. 02The Strait of Gibraltar is too narrow for tidal water to slosh in and out, impacting sea levels.
  3. 03Tides are caused by the moon's gravity and the Earth's rotation, resulting in bulges of water in the oceans.
  4. 04The film's error was pointed out by a geophysicist, who suggested that the director, Chris Nolan, take a course on geophysical hydrodynamics.
The full brief

A film about the Odyssey features a scene where Greeks inside a Trojan horse drown due to tides. However, the Mediterranean Sea, where the story takes place, does not have significant tides. A geophysicist explains why this is the case, citing the narrow Strait of Gibraltar and the resulting lack of tidal movement.