Here we see the incoming tide (“flood tide”) starting to cover the intertidal zone of Great Cove, where the November high tides will range from about 9 to 12 feet, according to local charts. (Yesterday’s high tide was reported at 10.7 feet.)
Our tides are high enough (hence fast enough) for us to see their steadfast progress and, usually, to hear the enchanting musical crinkling of small waves coming ashore in rhythmic intervals.
The causes and effects of tides have been studied and written about by scientists and philosophers since at least 150 B.C. Isaac Newton was the first person to define the tides as the results of the gravitational pull of the moon and sun. The rotation of the earth has been discovered to be the third major factor. Scientific study of the tides has become even more important now, as the effects of human Climate Change may turn the tides into Nature’s avengers. (Brooklin, Maine)