The periodic rise and fall of sea level driven by the gravitational pull of the Moon and, to a lesser degree, the Sun, acting on the Earth's oceans as the planet rotates. Tidal action shapes coastal ecosystems, drives strong currents through narrow channels and straits, and, over geological time, contributes to coastal erosion and sediment transport in the intertidal zone.
Facts
Partially Attested
First Proposed Year1687 is the year Newton's gravitational explanation of the tides was published in the Principia; the same article calls Newton the first person to explain tides as the product of gravitational attraction. Timescale
Timescale (category) Timescale (category) Timescale (category) Process Type TimescaleAbout 12 hours and 25.2 minutes, half a tidal lunar day 1 Connections
Causes
Source Tidal Bore Formation (Wikipedia)
Shaped
Source Bay of Fundy - Wikipedia
Source Gulf of Papua (Wikipedia)
Sources
1. Tide, Wikipedia
Lead paragraph, first sentence
Tides are the periodic rise and fall of sea level resulting from the differential gravitational forces exerted primarily by the Moon and the Sun
Paragraph on the tidal period, sentence beginning Its period
Its period is about 12 hours and 25.2 minutes, exactly half a tidal lunar day, which is the average time separating one lunar zenith from the next.
History paragraph on Isaac Newton's explanation of the tides
His explanation of the tides (and many other phenomena) was published in the Principia (1687).
View the SourceTidal Bore Formation (Wikipedia)
Gulf of Papua (Wikipedia)
Shaped: Gulf of Papua, Formation statement for target 287761Quote, Shaped: Gulf of Papua, Formation statement for target 287761
Evidence suggests that the largest of these valleys formed by erosive tidal currents during the Pleistocene when the sea level was about 30-50 m below its present position.
Bay of Fundy - Wikipedia
Shaped: Bay of Fundy, LeadQuote, Shaped: Bay of Fundy, Lead
It has the highest tidal range in the world, averaging about 16 metres (52 ft) due to tidal resonance in its funnel-shaped basin.
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