Tides

 Tides are changes in depth of the ocean at

different times in some parts of the world.
 The depth is the distance from the surface of the
water to the bottom of the ocean.
 The depth is highest at high tide and lowest at
low tide.
 The difference in depth of the water between high
and low tides is called tidal range.
 The largest tidal range in the world is 16.3 m in
the Bay of Fundy in Canada.
 Some of the smallest tidal ranges in the world are
less than in the Caribbean and Mediterranean
seas.
Cont.
 Tides also cause the land to change in height
through the day! This is called earth tide.
 The tidal range due to earth tide is about 30cm.
 High tides are about 12 hours apart.
 Low tides are also about 12 hours apart.
 The time between high and low tide is six hours.
Cont.
 Tides change the depth of the oceans. High tide
(left) and low tide (right) are six hours apart.
What causes tides?
 The Moon orbits the Earth.
 The Moon stays in orbit because of the force of
gravity from the Earth but the Moon also has
gravity, and this gravity pulls on the Earth.
 As the oceans are made from water, the gravity
from the Moon can pull the water more easily
than the land.
 The pull from the Moon’s gravity is called a tidal
force.
Cont.
 How tides occur.
 The blue line around the Earth represents the
ocean depth. The difference in depth is caused by
the pull of gravity from the Moon.
Cont.
 The Earth is viewed from above the North Pole.
 The side of the Earth closer to the Moon will
have high tide.
 The Earth takes 24 hours to spin on its axis. This
means that 12 hours later, the side that was
closest to the Moon is now furthest away.
 You can see from the drawing that the side
furthest away also has a high tide. This is why the
time between high tides is 12 hours.
Cont.
 The Sun also produces a tidal force on Earth, but this is
weaker as the Sun is further away than the Moon.
 When the Sun and the Moon are in line with Earth, this
produces a larger tidal force.
Effects of Tides
 Some harbours can only be used at certain times
of the day because of tides.
 If the water in the harbour is not deep enough,
boats cannot move safely.
 Harbours are places where boats and ships can
load and unload passengers and cargo.
 In weather with strong winds, coastal areas are
more likely to have flooding at times of high
tides.
 Coastal areas are parts of the land that are close
to the oceans.
Cont.
 The flow of water in and out of some coastal
areas can be dangerous for small boats.
 Tides may affect food chains, including the
human food chain. For example, at low tide birds
can eat some types of shellfish when they are not
covered with water. Some types of fish move to
find food according to tides in coastal areas.
 Volcano eruptions have been linked with earth
tides.
 By studying Earth tides, scientists may be able to
predict when a volcano will become dangerous.
 Earthquakes may also be linked with earth tides.
 Movement of water with tides can be used to
generate electricity.
Practice Questions
1) Which of these causes the force of gravity for tides
on Earth?
the Sun only the Moon only the Sun and Moon
the Sun, Moon and other stars
2) What is the name given to the pull of gravity that
causes tides?
high tide low tide tidal range tidal force
3) State the time between:
a) one high tide and the next high tide
b) one low tide and the next low tide
c) a high tide and the next low tide.
Cont.
4) Explain why some harbours cannot be used at low
tide.
5) Explain why the largest tidal ranges happen when
there is either a full moon or a new moon.
6) The average depth of water in a place near the
coast of the Pacific ocean is 23.5m. The largest tidal
range in that place is 12.7m .
Calculate the maximum depth of water at that place.