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| Sea movements during tides |
In places where there are large tides, the intertidal area is quite large. This is an area over which the sea retreats and comes back as it is being pulled by both the moon and the sun. Water in the oceans is constantly being pulled from one region to another of the earth, just like water in a bathtub when you create ripples. People can actually walk over the area that is temporarily exposed during low tide, until the next high tide comes in. |
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In some places, like Canada and the Atlantic coast of France, the sea can retreat up to 20-30km! (with a vertical distance of 17m!).
This means that you would have to walk for 4hrs to cross the intertidal zone in such areas during low tide and the vertical difference in the water level between low and high tide is equivalent to a four-storey house!
The Mediterranean Sea, including the Maltese Islands, is a microtidal area (i.e. tides are small) and the sea does not move by more than 30cm (i.e. the length of your ruler!). |
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