The daily rise and fall of sea level on coastlines due to gravity is called what?

Prepare for the Earth Science Test on Earth's Waters. Study with interactive flashcards and multiple-choice questions, with hints and detailed explanations. Get ready to excel on your exam!

Multiple Choice

The daily rise and fall of sea level on coastlines due to gravity is called what?

Explanation:
Tides describe the daily rise and fall of sea level caused by gravity. The Moon and the Sun exert gravitational pulls on Earth's oceans, creating bulges on the side of the Earth facing them and on the opposite side. As the planet rotates, coastlines move into and out of these bulges, producing high tides and low tides that repeat roughly every 12 hours (with variations by location). This gravitational mechanism is different from waves, which are surface ripples driven mainly by wind, and from currents, which are continuous horizontal movements of water. A gust is simply wind and does not drive the vertical sea-level cycle.

Tides describe the daily rise and fall of sea level caused by gravity. The Moon and the Sun exert gravitational pulls on Earth's oceans, creating bulges on the side of the Earth facing them and on the opposite side. As the planet rotates, coastlines move into and out of these bulges, producing high tides and low tides that repeat roughly every 12 hours (with variations by location). This gravitational mechanism is different from waves, which are surface ripples driven mainly by wind, and from currents, which are continuous horizontal movements of water. A gust is simply wind and does not drive the vertical sea-level cycle.

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