Ebb and flood tide
Also called: Ebb, Flood tide, Flow · Topic: Movements of Ocean Water: Waves, Tides and Currents · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 13 "Movements of Ocean Water"
Meaning
These words name the two halves of the tidal cycle. Ebb is the falling tide, from high water to low water. In this phase the sea level drops and water drains out of bays, creeks and estuaries. Flood, also called flow, is the rising tide, from low water to high water. In this phase the sea pushes back into the land. Sailors, port pilots and fishermen time their trips by these phases, because channels are deepest near the end of the flood.
Example
In the Sundarbans creeks of West Bengal, boats ride in on the flood tide as water fills the channels between the mangrove islands. When the ebb begins, the same channels empty and mudflats appear.
Don't confuse with
- Neap tide: a tide with a small range that comes at the Moon's quarters. Ebb and flood describe the direction the water is moving (falling or rising), not how big the tide is.