Ocean Water Movements: Tides and Precipitation

• Falling moisture, including rainfall, snow, fog, sleet, and hailstone, is known as precipitation.
• The water cycle is a continuous process where water changes form and circulates between oceans, atmosphere, and land.

Factors Affecting Wave Height

• Winds, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and underwater landslides can affect wave height.
• Stronger winds result in bigger waves.

Factors Affecting Ocean Water Movement

• Temperature, winds, and the gravitational pull of the sun, Earth, and moon influence ocean water movement.
• Warm and cold currents also affect ocean water movement.

Tides

• Tides are the twice-daily rhythmic rise and fall of ocean water.
• Tides are caused by the strong gravitational pull exerted by the sun and moon on Earth's surface.

Spring and Neap Tides

• Spring tides occur during the full moon and new moon when the sun, moon, and Earth are aligned, resulting in the highest tides.
• Neap tides occur when the moon is in its first and last quarter, gravitational forces are diagonal, and low tides occur.

Importance of High Tides

• High tides aid in navigation.
• They raise water levels near shores, which helps ships reach harbors more easily.
• High tides can help the fishing industry by bringing more fish closer to the shore.
• The rise and fall of water due to tides can be used to generate electricity.

Waves

• Waves are the rise and fall of water on the ocean's surface.
• Waves form when winds move across the ocean surface.
• Stronger winds create bigger waves.
• Storms can generate very high-speed winds, leading to huge, destructive waves.

Tsunamis

• Tsunami is a Japanese term for 'harbour waves' because they often destroy harbors.
• Tsunamis can be triggered by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, or underwater landslides that displace large amounts of ocean water.
• Tsunamis can reach heights of 15 m.

Ocean Currents

• Ocean currents are continuous streams of water flowing on the ocean surface in specific directions.
• Ocean currents can be warm or cold.
• Warm currents originate near the equator and move towards the poles.
• Cold currents carry water from polar or higher latitudes towards tropical or lower latitudes.
• The Labrador Ocean current is an example of a cold current.
• The Gulf Stream is an example of a warm current.
• Ocean currents affect temperature conditions of an area, and the location where warm and cold ocean currents meet provide the best fishing grounds.
• Areas where warm and cold currents meet also experience foggy weather, which complicates navigation.

Ocean Movements

• Ocean movements include waves, tides, and currents.

Saltiness of Ocean Water

• The ocean is salty due to the large amount of dissolved salts it contains.

Water Quality Deterioration

• The quality of water is deteriorating due to misuse.
• Industrial effluents and untreated waste mix into rivers and streams.
• Sewerage water also contaminates water bodies.

Explore precipitation forms like rain and snow. Understand the water cycle's continuous flow and factors influencing ocean waves and currents. Learn about tides, including spring and neap tides, caused by gravitational forces.