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The tidal range is the vertical difference between the highest high tide
High Tide

High Tide was a band formed in 1969 by Tony Hill , Simon House , Pete Pavli and Roger Hadden . The trademark of their first album Sea Shanties was the constant battle between the electric guitar of Tony Hill and the electric violin of Simon House....
 and the lowest low tide. In other words, it is the difference in height between high and low tides. The most extreme tidal range will occur around the time of the full
Full moon

Full moon is a lunar phase that occurs when the Moon is on the opposite side of the Earth from the Sun. More precisely, a full moon occurs when the geocentric apparent longitudes of the Sun and Moon differ by 180 degrees; the Moon is then in opposition with the Sun....
 or new moon
New moon

In astronomical terminology, the new moon is the lunar phase that occurs when the Moon, in its monthly orbital motion around Earth, lies between Earth and the Sun, and is therefore in Conjunction with the Sun as seen from Earth....
s, when gravity of both the Sun
Sun

The Sun , a G V star, is the star at the center of the Solar System. The Earth and other matter orbit the Sun, which by itself accounts for about 98.6% of the Solar System's mass....
 and Moon
Moon

The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite and the List of natural satellites by diameter satellite in the Solar System. The average centre-to-centre distance from the Earth to the Moon is km, about thirty times the diameter of the Earth....
 are pulling the same way (new moon
New moon

In astronomical terminology, the new moon is the lunar phase that occurs when the Moon, in its monthly orbital motion around Earth, lies between Earth and the Sun, and is therefore in Conjunction with the Sun as seen from Earth....
), or exact opposite way (full
Full moon

Full moon is a lunar phase that occurs when the Moon is on the opposite side of the Earth from the Sun. More precisely, a full moon occurs when the geocentric apparent longitudes of the Sun and Moon differ by 180 degrees; the Moon is then in opposition with the Sun....
).






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Tidal Range
The tidal range is the vertical difference between the highest high tide
High Tide

High Tide was a band formed in 1969 by Tony Hill , Simon House , Pete Pavli and Roger Hadden . The trademark of their first album Sea Shanties was the constant battle between the electric guitar of Tony Hill and the electric violin of Simon House....
 and the lowest low tide. In other words, it is the difference in height between high and low tides. The most extreme tidal range will occur around the time of the full
Full moon

Full moon is a lunar phase that occurs when the Moon is on the opposite side of the Earth from the Sun. More precisely, a full moon occurs when the geocentric apparent longitudes of the Sun and Moon differ by 180 degrees; the Moon is then in opposition with the Sun....
 or new moon
New moon

In astronomical terminology, the new moon is the lunar phase that occurs when the Moon, in its monthly orbital motion around Earth, lies between Earth and the Sun, and is therefore in Conjunction with the Sun as seen from Earth....
s, when gravity of both the Sun
Sun

The Sun , a G V star, is the star at the center of the Solar System. The Earth and other matter orbit the Sun, which by itself accounts for about 98.6% of the Solar System's mass....
 and Moon
Moon

The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite and the List of natural satellites by diameter satellite in the Solar System. The average centre-to-centre distance from the Earth to the Moon is km, about thirty times the diameter of the Earth....
 are pulling the same way (new moon
New moon

In astronomical terminology, the new moon is the lunar phase that occurs when the Moon, in its monthly orbital motion around Earth, lies between Earth and the Sun, and is therefore in Conjunction with the Sun as seen from Earth....
), or exact opposite way (full
Full moon

Full moon is a lunar phase that occurs when the Moon is on the opposite side of the Earth from the Sun. More precisely, a full moon occurs when the geocentric apparent longitudes of the Sun and Moon differ by 180 degrees; the Moon is then in opposition with the Sun....
). This type of tide is known as a spring tide. During neap tides, when the Moon and Sun's vectors make a right angle at the Earth
Earth

Earth is the third planet from the Sun. Earth is the largest of the terrestrial planets in the Solar System in diameter, mass and density. It is also referred to as the World and Wiktionary:Terra.Note that by International Astronomical Union convention, the term "Terra" is used for naming extensive land masses, rather...
, the difference between high and low tides is smaller. Neap tides occur during the firsts and lasts quarter moons.

Geography

The typical tidal range in the open ocean is about 0.6 meters (2 feet). As you get closer to the coast, however, this range gets much greater. Coastal tidal ranges vary globally and can differ anywhere from 1.8 meters to 3 meters (6–10 feet). The world's biggest tidal differential occurs in the Bay of Fundy
Bay of Fundy

The Bay of Fundy is a Headlands and bays on the Atlantic Ocean coast of North America, on the northeast end of the Gulf of Maine between the Canada Provinces of Canada of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, with a small portion touching the United States U.S....
 in Eastern Canada
Eastern Canada

Eastern Canada is generally considered to be the region of Canada east of Manitoba, consisting of the following provinces and territories of Canada:...
, where the sea level changes by up to 17 meters (55 feet) during the day. Ungava Bay
Ungava Bay

Ungava Bay is a large headlands and bays in northeastern Canada separating Nunavik from Baffin Island. The bay is shaped like a rounded square with a side length of about 180 km and has an area of approximately 33,000 km? ....
 in Northern Quebec
Quebec

Quebec , in French language, Qu?bec , is a Provinces and territories of Canada in the Central Canada and Eastern Canada regions of Canada....
, north eastern Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
, is believed by some experts to have higher tidal ranges than the Bay of Fundy (about 17 metres or 56 ft), but it is free of pack ice for only about four months every year, whereas the Bay of Fundy rarely freezes. What is generally regarded as the next highest tidal range occurs in the Bristol Channel
Bristol Channel

The Bristol Channel is a major inlet in the island of Great Britain, separating South Wales from Devon and Somerset in South West England, and extending from the lower Severn Estuary of the River Severn to that part of the North Atlantic Ocean known as the Celtic Sea ....
 in the UK, where sea levels change by some 15 meters (49 feet). The smallest tidal ranges occur in the Mediterranean
Mediterranean Sea

The Mediterranean Sea is a sea or Ocean off the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Europe, on the south by Africa, and on the east by Asia....
, Baltic
Baltic Sea

The Baltic Sea is a brackish inland sea located in Northern Europe, from 53?N to 66?N latitude and from 20?E to 26?E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Denmark islands....
, and Caribbean Sea
Caribbean Sea

The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean situated in the mid-latitudes of the Western Hemisphere, bounded to the south and west by the Americas, with the North Atlantic Ocean proper to the northeast and the Gulf of Mexico to the northwest....
s. A point within a tidal system where the tidal range is almost zero is called an amphidromic point
Amphidromic point

An amphidromic point is a point within a tidal system where the tidal range is almost zero.Amphidromic points occur because of the coriolis effect and interference within oceanic basins, seas and Headlands and bayss creating a wave pattern ? called an amphidromic system ? which rotates around the amphidromic point....
.

See also

  • Tide
    Tide

    Tides are the rising of Earth's ocean surface caused by the tidal forces of the Moon and the Sun acting on the oceans. Tides cause changes in the depth of the marine and estuary water bodies and produce oscillating currents known as tidal streams, making prediction of tides important for coastal navigation ....


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