What Causes Tides?

Key Concepts

• Tides: The periodic rise and fall of ocean water levels.
  • High Tide: The highest point of water level.
  • Low Tide: The lowest point of water level.

Importance of Tides

• Essential for plants, animals, and humans living near the ocean.
• Predictable patterns of rising and falling of water.

Causes of Tides

• Main Cause: The Moon
  • Gravity: The force that draws objects toward each other.
  • The Moon's gravity pulls on Earth's water, causing it to bulge towards the Moon, creating high tides.
  • Tidal Force: The effect of gravity that causes water to bulge.

The Mechanics of Tides

• First High Tide: Caused by the direct pull of the Moon’s gravity.
• Second High Tide: Due to Earth's squeeze effect, causing a bulge on the opposite side as well.
  • Earth rotates through these bulges, resulting in two high tides each day.

Impact of Climate Change on Tides

• As global temperatures rise, so do ocean levels, leading to higher tides.
• High-Tide Flooding: Occurs when tides rise approximately 2 feet above average high tide, causing flooding.

Monitoring and Mitigation

• NOAA’s GOES-R Series Weather Satellites: Used to study high-tide floods.
• Coastal communities can use this data for future planning against rising tides.

Further Learning

• Refer to NOAA SciJinks for more information on Earth's weather and tides.