A Phase-Oscillator Framework for Earth's Tidal Dynamics

Abstract Classical tide theory, which explains tidal behavior primarily through lunar gravitational forcing and Earth’s rotation, leaves several well-documented phenomena insufficiently addressed. These include the occurrence of once-daily and multi-peak tidal cycles, the physical difficulty of sustaining an opposite-side bulge, region-specific phase lags, the near-immobility of sediments and benthic organisms during tidal transitions, and instances of vertical subsidence in intertidal mudflats. This paper reinterprets these observations within a phase–oscillator framework in which the solid Earth, oceans, atmosphere, and geomagnetic field form a coupled oscillator network. In this model, tides arise not from direct gravitational displacement but from phase displacement occurring within the Earth’s internal oscillatory structure. By treating the ocean as a phase-sensitive medium, the model provides coherent explanations for nonlinear tidal patterns, regional variability, depth-dependent responses, and transient vertical deformations. The results suggest that tidal dynamics represent a surface-level expression of a deeper phase architecture operating within the Earth system, offering a unified and testable alternative to the classical gravitational interpretation. This framework opens new theoretical and empirical pathways for understanding not only tides but potentially a broader class of geophysical processes governed by internal phase coupling.