tides Flashcards
what are tides?
periodic rise and fall in the level of sea
what are tides caused by?
gravitational pull of the sun and moon
does the sun or the moon have the greatest influence?
the moon
due to its distance to the earth
what is the compensatory bulge?
when the moons gravitational pull attracts water it causes the same effect to happen on the opposite side of the earth
where is the tide the lowest?
between the two bulges
when do spring and neap tides occur?
twice in a lunar month
what is a spring tide?
when the sun moon and earth are all in a straight line, causes the highest gravitationalpull
what is a neap tide?
when the sun and moon are perpendicular to the earth
which type of tides causes the highest tidal range?
spring tide, lowest low tide and highest high tide
which tide creates the lowest tidal range?
neap tides
in a neap tide how much by % are low and high tides lower than average?
10-30%
how is tidal range a significant factor in development of a coastline?
determine the upper and lower limits of erosion and deposition and the amount of time that the littoral zone is exposed to weathering
where is an example of where tidal ranges are high?
the British isles
wide zone of wave attack causing wide wave cut platforms etc
