Tide

Article

Tides are the periodic rise and fall of sea level caused mainly by the gravitational attraction of the Moon and Sun and by Earth's rotation. The response is shaped by ocean depth, coastlines, basin geometry, and local weather.

Most coastlines experience two high tides and two low tides during a lunar day, although some locations have one dominant daily tide or unequal successive tides. The interval between corresponding lunar tides is about 24 hours and 50 minutes.

When the Sun, Moon, and Earth are aligned near new or full moon, their tidal effects reinforce one another and produce spring tides. Near the first and third quarter moons, the effects partly oppose one another and produce smaller neap tides.

Tidal currents influence sediment transport, coastal ecosystems, navigation, mixing, and marine organisms. Long-term tidal records are also used to measure sea-level change and study interactions among oceans, the Moon, and Earth's rotation.

Source details and credits

• Source / publisher: Wikipedia
• URL type: WWW
• Credits: Wikipedia
• URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tide