Causes of Tides

 

 

If you have been to a beach, you may have noticed that incoming water has left shells, seaweed, and other marine objects on the shore – this is because of the tide. There are two theories on the formation and movement of tides on Earth; however, a simple definition is that a tide is the periodic rise of ocean water due to the gravitational pull of the moon and sun. When the tide comes in and goes out, it can leave behind all sorts of objects that once resided in the higher water level at that location. The weather, the Coriolis Effect, the shape of the coastline, and even the time of the month can influence the tide. Even with these influences, people are still able to predict when low tide and high tide may occur daily in an area.

Essential Questions

• What is a tide?
• How are tidal bulges created?
• What is the equilibrium theory of tides?
• What is a flood current?
• What is an ebb current?
• What is a slack current?
• What is the dynamic theory of tides?
• What are amphidromic points?
• How can one predict tides?