The oceans live by their own rules, which are harmoniously combined with the laws of the universe. For a long time people noticed that the water masses are actively moving, but could not understand what these sea level fluctuations are associated with. Let's find out what is the tide, the ebb?
Tides: the mysteries of the ocean
The sailors knew very well that the ebbs and flows were a daily occurrence. But the nature of these changes could not be understood either by ordinary people or by scientific minds. As far back as the fifth century BC, philosophers tried to describe and characterize how the oceans move. The ebbs and flows seemed to be something fantastic and unusual. Even reputable scientists considered the tides to be the breath of the planet. This version has existed for several millennia. Only at the end of the seventeenth century did the meaning of the word “tide” be associated with the movement of the moon. But it was not possible to explain this process from a scientific point of view. Hundreds of years later, scientists dealt with this mystery and gave an accurate definition of the daily change in water level. The science of oceanology, which appeared in the twentieth century, has established that the tide is the raising and lowering of the water level of the World Ocean in connection with the gravitational influence of the Moon.
Are tides everywhere the same?
The influence of the moon on the earth's crust is not the same, so it cannot be said that tides are identical throughout the world. In some parts of the world, daily sea level drops reach sixteen meters. And the inhabitants of the Black Sea coast almost never notice the tides, since they are the most insignificant in the world.
Typically, a change in water level occurs twice a day - in the morning and in the evening. But in the South China Sea, the tide is a movement of water masses that occurs only once in twenty-four hours. Most of all, sea level differences are noticeable in straits or other narrow places. If you observe, with the naked eye it will be noticeable how quickly the water leaves or arrives. Sometimes it rises five meters in a few minutes.
What causes the ebb and flow
As we have already found out, a change in sea level is caused by the impact on the earth's crust of its constant moon moon. But how is this process going? To understand what the tide is, it is necessary to present in detail the interaction of all the planets in the solar system.
The moon and the earth are in constant dependence on each other. Earth attracts its satellite, and that, in turn, seeks to attract our planet. This endless rivalry allows you to maintain the desired distance between two cosmic bodies. The moon and the earth move in their orbits, now moving away, then approaching each other.
At that moment, when the Moon approaches our planet closer, the earth's crust bends towards it. This causes a disturbance of water on the surface of the earth's crust, as if it tends to rise higher. The remoteness of the Earth’s satellite causes a decline in the level of the oceans.
Tidal range on Earth
Since the tide is a regular occurrence, it must have its own specific range of motion. Oceanologists were able to calculate the exact time of the lunar day. This term is called the revolution of the moon around our planet, it is slightly longer than the usual twenty-four hours for us. Every day, the tides shift by fifty minutes. This time period is necessary for the wave to “catch up” with the Moon, which moves thirteen degrees beyond the Earth's day.
The effect of ocean tides on rivers
What is the tide, we have already found out, but few people know about the influence of these oceanic fluctuations on our planet. Surprisingly, even rivers are affected by ocean tides, and sometimes the result of this intervention is incredibly frightening.
During heavy tides, a wave entering the mouth of a river meets a stream of fresh water. As a result of the mixing of water masses of different densities, a powerful shaft forms, which begins to move against the river flow with great speed. This stream is called boron, and it is able to destroy almost everything living in its path. Such a phenomenon washes away coastal settlements in a few minutes and erodes the coastline. Bohr stops as suddenly as it began.
Scientists have recorded cases when a powerful forest turned the river back or completely stopped them. It is easy to imagine how catastrophic for all the inhabitants of the river these phenomenal cases of tidal action have become.
How do tides affect marine life?
Not surprisingly, tides have a huge impact on all organisms that live in the depths of the ocean. The most difficult thing is for small animals living in coastal zones. They are forced to constantly adapt to changes in water levels. For many of them, tides are a way to change habitat. During tides, small crustaceans move closer to the shore and find food for themselves, a tidal wave draws them deeper into the ocean.
Oceanologists have proven that many marine life is closely related to tidal waves. For example, in some species of whales, the metabolism slows down during low tide. In other deep-sea inhabitants, reproductive activity depends on the height of the wave and its amplitude.
Most scientists believe that the disappearance of phenomena such as fluctuations in sea level, will lead to the extinction of many living things. Indeed, in this case, they will lose their power source and will not be able to adjust their biological clock to a specific rhythm.
Earth's rotation speed: is the influence of the tides great?
For decades, scientists have been studying everything related to the term "tide." This is a process that every year brings more and more mysteries. Many experts associate the speed of rotation of the Earth with the action of tidal waves. According to this theory, under the influence of tides, sea currents form . On their way, they constantly overcome the resistance of the earth's crust. As a result, the planet’s rotation speed is almost imperceptible to humans.
Studying sea corals, oceanologists found that a few billion years ago, the Earth's day was twenty-two hours. In the future, the rotation of the Earth will slow down even more, and at some point it will simply equal the amplitude of the lunar day. In this case, as scientists predict, the tides will simply disappear.
Human activity and amplitude of fluctuations of the oceans
Not surprisingly, people are also affected by the tides. After all, it is 80% liquid and cannot but respond to the influence of the moon. But man would not be the crown of the creation of nature, if he had not learned to use practically all natural phenomena to his advantage.
The energy of the tidal wave is incredibly high, so for many years various projects have been created to build power plants in areas with a large amplitude of movement of water masses. There are already several such power plants in Russia. The first was built in the White Sea and was an experimental option. The power of this station did not exceed eight hundred kilowatts. Now this figure seems ridiculous, and new power plants that use the tidal wave produce energy that feeds many cities.
Scientists see precisely in these projects the future of the Russian energy sector, because tidal power plants make it possible to take care of nature and cooperate with it.
The ebbs and flows are natural phenomena that, not so long ago, were completely unexplored. Each new discovery of oceanologists leads to even greater questions in this area. But perhaps someday scientists will be able to unravel all the secrets that the ocean tide presents to mankind every day.