When the tide goes out (ebb tide), the water moves away from the shore and flows back out toward the deeper parts of the ocean. It does not disappear, but rather shifts to other locations on Earth experiencing high tide due to the gravitational pull of the moon and sun, and the rotation of the Earth.
There are tides in the Caribbean, but because there is no bloody great continental coastline for the ocean to wash up against pulled by the Moon's gravity, you don't get the dramatic tides you see on continental coasts.
Without tides it would be much more difficult for life to move from sea to land. Plants evolved from algae, bit without an intertidal, I'd imagine that the move towards land based lichens and other early plants would be much different.
Most tides are semidiurnal, which means they take place twice a day. For example, when an area covered by the ocean faces the moon, the moon's gravitational force on the water causes a high high tide. As the Earth rotates, that area moves away from the moon's influence and the tide ebbs.
Ocean water represents the largest body of water within the global water cycle (oceans contain 97% of Earth's water). Evaporation from the ocean moves water into the atmosphere to later rain back down onto land and the ocean. Oceans have a significant effect on the biosphere.
However, the Earth is nearing the end of its supply. According to The World Counts, four trillion gallons of water are used worldwide everyday. About 100 gallons of water are used by the average Phoenix citizen everyday. At this rate, planet Earth will run out of water in 16 years, or by 2040.
No, it's not safe to drink ocean water even if you boil it. Boiling can kill bacteria and viruses, but it doesn't remove the salts and minerals present in seawater. Consuming too much salt can lead to dehydration, kidney damage, and other health problems.
Summary: 2025 is a transformative year for ocean governance, marked by three landmark events: the UN BBNJ Convention entering into force, new WTO fisheries subsidies regulations taking effect, and the adoption of a historic political declaration at the 2025 UN Ocean Conference.
Tidal generating forces vary inversely as the cube of the distance from the tide-generating object. This means that the sun's tidal generating force is reduced by 3903 (about 59 million times) compared to the tide-generating force of the moon.
The 50/90 rule (or 50/90/100 rule) is a simple guideline for estimating tidal current speed, stating that an hour after slack water (0% flow), the current reaches 50% of its max speed, then 90% by the second hour, and 100% (maximum) at the third hour, before slowing back down in the same pattern (90%, 50%) until the next slack water in the sixth hour, indicating a cycle of roughly 0/50/90/100/90/50/0% flow over six hours. It's a useful rule of thumb for kayakers and sailors for basic planning, though it's less accurate in complex areas like estuaries compared to official charts.
The Atlantic Ocean enters the Mediterranean Sea through the narrow Gibraltar Strait. As a result, the Mediterranean Sea has almost no tides, which means that coastline construction has historically been situated very close to the water—closer than in other coastal countries directly exposed to the daily ocean tides.
The highest recorded tide level was 53.6 feet (16 meters) recorded at Burntcoat Head, Nova Scotia. For October, we've added an iOS 🍎 home tide widget option and added a tide tile to the current conditions update so you can better know before you go. 🤙🏼
On Earth, the Moon's gravitational pull causes the oceans to bulge out on both the side closest to the Moon and the side farthest from the Moon. These bulges create high tides. The low points are where low tides occur.
The Japanese archipelago separates the sea from the Pacific Ocean. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it has almost no tides due to its nearly complete enclosure from the Pacific Ocean. This isolation also affects faunal diversity and salinity, both of which are lower than in the open ocean.
What is desalination. Desalination is the process by which the dissolved mineral salts in water are removed. Currently, this process, applied to seawater, is one of the most used to obtain fresh water for human consumption or agricultural purposes.
Human kidneys can only make urine that is less salty than salt water. Therefore, to get rid of all the excess salt taken in by drinking seawater, you have to urinate more water than you drank. Eventually, you die of dehydration even as you become thirstier.
We have a great deal more to learn about our ocean and what resides within it, but progress IS being made. We learn more and more each year. We continue to discover new features and creatures, clues to our past, and resources that can improve our future. But the ocean will never be fully explored.
