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Tidal drag is not an additional cause, it's exactly the mechanism of how momentum is transferred from Earth to the moon. However as far as I know, oceans play a relatively minor part, with the deformation of Earth's crust and mantle having the greatest effect.


Isn't there a difference between "tidal forces" in the gravitational sense and the forces induced by the momentum of the fluid? Or are they the same?


Tidal force is the force that causes an object to stretch in a nonuniform gravitational field. If the object is rotating relative to the field, tidal forces induce dynamic stresses on the object, heating it up and slowing down its rotation (which means something else in the system has to speed up because momentum is conserved).




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