Page 256 - DK Children's Encyclopedia
P. 256

Tides                                                                             SEE ALSO

                                                                                               ▸ ▸ Day and night
                                                                                                p.77

           Tides are daily changes in the level of the sea on the                              ▸ ▸ Gravity  p.125
           coast. They are mainly caused by the moon’s gravity,                                ▸ ▸ Moon  p.171
           which is an invisible force that pulls on the Earth. When                           ▸ ▸ Oceans and seas

           the water is high up the coast, it is called high tide, and                          p.187
           when it falls it is low tide.                                                       ▸ ▸ Seashore  p.220
                                                                                               ▸ ▸ Sun  p.247






































         Low tide                                               High tide
         When the pull of the moon is weak, water levels        When the pull of the moon is strong, water levels
         fall and the tide goes out.                            rise and the tide comes in.



       The moon and tides                A high tide happens
       The moon pulls the Earth’s        around the parts of Earth   Living between tides
                                         closest to the moon.
       oceans on the side facing it.                                 The part of the coast that is covered up and
       This makes sea levels rise,         Earth                     then uncovered between the tides is called the
       creating a high tide. Because                                 intertidal zone. Many living things are found
                                                                     here. They have to be tough to cope with
       the Earth turns, tides rise                                   battering waves at high tide, and air
       and fall as parts of Earth                        Moon        and sunlight at low tide.
       turn toward and then away                                     Mussels live on
       from the moon.                                                rocks. They shut
                                                                     their shells when
                                                                     the tide is out.
                  High tides happen               Low tide occurs
                  on both sides of the            where the moon’s
                  Earth at the same time.         pull is at its weakest.

                                                            254





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