Tide

Article

Tides are periodic changes in sea level and ocean currents caused mainly by the gravitational attraction of the Moon and Sun together with Earth's rotation. The local response depends on coastlines, water depth, basin shape, and weather.

Many coasts experience two high tides and two low tides during a lunar day of about 24 hours and 50 minutes. Other regions show one dominant daily tide or strongly unequal successive tides.

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

Tidal friction transfers angular momentum between Earth and the Moon, gradually slowing Earth's rotation and increasing the Moon's orbital distance. Tides also influence coastal ecosystems, sediment transport, navigation, and marine biological rhythms.

Source details and credits

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