Analytical Calculations of Some Effects of Tidal Forces on Plants on the International Space Station
Among the phenomena attributable to the Moon’s actions on living organisms, one of them seems to be related to analytical fluid mechanics: along the route of the International Space Station around the Earth, experiments on plants have revealed leaf oscillations. A parametric resonance due to a short...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2021-10-01
|
| Series: | Forests |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/12/11/1443 |
| _version_ | 1797510324485619712 |
|---|---|
| author | Henri Gouin |
| author_facet | Henri Gouin |
| author_sort | Henri Gouin |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Among the phenomena attributable to the Moon’s actions on living organisms, one of them seems to be related to analytical fluid mechanics: along the route of the International Space Station around the Earth, experiments on plants have revealed leaf oscillations. A parametric resonance due to a short period of microgravitational forces could explain these oscillations. Indeed, Rayleigh-Taylor’s instabilities occurring at the interfaces between liquid-water and its vapor verify a second-order <i>Mathieu differential equation</i>. This is the case of interfaces existing in the xylem channels of plant stems filled with sap and air-vapor. The magnitude of the instabilities depends on the distances between the Moon, the Sun, and the Earth. They are analogous, but less spectacular, to those that occur during ocean tides. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T05:29:54Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c4798fb8dc0c4536a3fcada30d7b65b1 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1999-4907 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T05:29:54Z |
| publishDate | 2021-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Forests |
| spelling | doaj.art-c4798fb8dc0c4536a3fcada30d7b65b12023-11-22T23:23:48ZengMDPI AGForests1999-49072021-10-011211144310.3390/f12111443Analytical Calculations of Some Effects of Tidal Forces on Plants on the International Space StationHenri Gouin0Aix Marseille University, CNRS, IUSTI, UMR 7343, 5 rue Enrico Fermi, CEDEX 13, 13453 Marseille, FranceAmong the phenomena attributable to the Moon’s actions on living organisms, one of them seems to be related to analytical fluid mechanics: along the route of the International Space Station around the Earth, experiments on plants have revealed leaf oscillations. A parametric resonance due to a short period of microgravitational forces could explain these oscillations. Indeed, Rayleigh-Taylor’s instabilities occurring at the interfaces between liquid-water and its vapor verify a second-order <i>Mathieu differential equation</i>. This is the case of interfaces existing in the xylem channels of plant stems filled with sap and air-vapor. The magnitude of the instabilities depends on the distances between the Moon, the Sun, and the Earth. They are analogous, but less spectacular, to those that occur during ocean tides.https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/12/11/1443leaves oscillationslunisolar effectsthe International Space Stationparametric resonance |
| spellingShingle | Henri Gouin Analytical Calculations of Some Effects of Tidal Forces on Plants on the International Space Station Forests leaves oscillations lunisolar effects the International Space Station parametric resonance |
| title | Analytical Calculations of Some Effects of Tidal Forces on Plants on the International Space Station |
| title_full | Analytical Calculations of Some Effects of Tidal Forces on Plants on the International Space Station |
| title_fullStr | Analytical Calculations of Some Effects of Tidal Forces on Plants on the International Space Station |
| title_full_unstemmed | Analytical Calculations of Some Effects of Tidal Forces on Plants on the International Space Station |
| title_short | Analytical Calculations of Some Effects of Tidal Forces on Plants on the International Space Station |
| title_sort | analytical calculations of some effects of tidal forces on plants on the international space station |
| topic | leaves oscillations lunisolar effects the International Space Station parametric resonance |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/12/11/1443 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT henrigouin analyticalcalculationsofsomeeffectsoftidalforcesonplantsontheinternationalspacestation |