Tides and Waves (123RF)
“What are Tides?”
Have you ever wondered what a tide is? Why is the water at the beach sometimes really far away, when later it is so close you have to move your beach towel?
Tides are the rise and fall of the water level in oceans and lakes.
When the sea level rises it is called “high tide.”
When the sea level falls it is called “low tide.”
The gravity of the moon has a big impact on tides.
The sun and rotation of the Earth also affect the tides.
The cycle of tides can happen once a day (diurnal) or twice a day (semidiurnal).
Tides get even stronger during equinoxes in March and September, and when there is a full moon.
Neat Places in Europe to See the Tide
Saint-Malo, Brittany, France
Big wave crushing during high tide in Saint-Malo , Brittany, France (123RF)
Saint-Malo is famous for having the highest tides in all of Europe. At low tide, there is plenty of sandy beach to walk on. At high tide, the water rises so much that waves are dozens of feet tall. They even splash the tops of the buildings.
Mont-Saint-Michel, Normandy, France
Mont-Saint-Michel at sunset pastel twilight sand low tide soft light perspective walkway (123RF)
See a huge shift in the high and low tides on this beach. For half of the days each month, the extreme high tides turn the mountain into an island because the water rises so much around it. During low tide, grab a bucket and walk along the miles of sand and lunar landscape. You can collect clams, mussels, cockles and shrimp when the tide is low. But always be aware of the water and bring an adult because the tide can move in quickly.
Saltstraumen, Norway
Whirlpools of the maelstrom of Saltstraumen, Nordland, Norway (123RF)
Beneath the Borvasstindene Mountains is one of the fastest tides in the world. 520 million cubic yards of water are forced into a narrow channel. Usually, this causes murky water. But not here. The water is flushed out every six hours, making it crystal clear. There are also a lot of cool whirlpools.
Strangford Lough, Northern Ireland
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SeaGen (Ardfern, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons)
See a neat underwater windmill named the SeaGen. It is the first major tidal stream turbine. SeaGen uses the energy from the strong tidal currents in the water to power over 1,500 homes.
Zeeland, The Netherlands
Bioluminescent Tide (123RF)
The sea sparkles when this bioluminescent tide comes in. When conditions are right, warm waters can bring in a type of algae that is a bright and glowing blue color. Think of it as a giant blue nightlight in the ocean. Blooms of bioluminescence usually only happens far out to sea. At Zeeland, tidal currents bring the algae closer and make it easy to see from shore. It must be dark to spot it.
