Exploring Tide Pools

Exploring Tide Pools. Written by Treka Oshunt -Hawkins.

探秘潮池。 作者：特丽卡·奥顺特-霍金斯。

What are tide pools? The tide is the rising and falling of the ocean where it meets the land. The tide rises and falls twice each day. In some areas, little pools of seawater are left behind when the tide goes out. These are tide pools. Most tide pools are found in low areas along rocky shorelines. You might also find small tide pools on sandy beaches. Any place along the shoreline that traps water creates a tide pool.

什么是潮池？ 潮汐就是海陆交界处海水的涨落现象。 潮汐一天会涨落两次。 退潮之后，有些区域会留下一汪汪小小的海水。 这就是潮池。 大多数潮池都分布在岩质海岸的低洼处。 你也能在沙滩上找到小型潮池。 海岸线上任何能留住海水的地方都能形成潮池。

What causes tides? The tides are caused by the force of gravity. The Sun and Moon have strong gravity that pulls on Earth. This gravity pulls on both land and water, but only the water can move in response to gravity. When the Sun and Moon pull on Earth, They pull the ocean water into two mounds.

潮汐是怎么形成的？ 潮汐是引力作用产生的。 太阳和月亮的强大引力会拉扯地球。 引力同时拉扯陆地和海洋，但只有水会顺着引力移动。 当太阳和月亮拉扯地球时，会把海水拉成两个水堆。

The rotation, or spin, of Earth causes the rising and falling of the tides. As land areas move into and out of where the water is in mounds, the tides slowly rise and fall. Since Earth makes one full rotation each day, there are two high tides and two low tides every 24 hours. The moon also moves around Earth, and this movement affects the tides. Twice each month, the moon and sun line up. They pull on the ocean water together. Their combined gravity causes higher mounds of water, creating the highest and lowest tides of the month. These tides are called spring tides. At other times, the sun and moon pull against each other. At these times, the high tides are not as high, and the low tides are not as low. These are called neap tides.

地球的自转，也就是旋转，带来了潮汐的涨落。 当陆地随着自转进出海水隆起的区域时，潮汐就会慢慢涨落。 地球一天自转一圈，所以每24小时会有两次涨潮、两次落潮。 月球还会绕着地球转，这种运动也会影响潮汐。 每个月里，太阳和月亮会连成直线两次。 它们会一起拉扯海水。 它们的合力会让海水隆起得更高，形成一个月里最高的涨潮和最低的落潮。 这种潮汐叫做大潮。 其他时候，太阳和月亮的拉力方向相反。 这时涨潮不会涨得特别高，落潮也不会落得特别低。 这种潮汐叫做小潮。

The intertidal zone. The area along the shore between high tide and low tide is the intertidal zone. This area is covered by seawater during high tide and exposed to air during low tide. The area closest to the sea is only exposed to the air during the very lowest tides. The area farthest from the sea is only covered by water during the highest tides. Different creatures live in different parts of the intertidal zone, depending on whether they need air or water.

潮间带。 海岸线上涨潮区和落潮区之间的地带就是潮间带。 涨潮时这片区域会被海水覆盖，退潮时就会暴露在空气中。 最靠近海的区域，只有在最低潮的时候才会露出水面。 离海最远的区域，只有在最高潮的时候才会被海水淹没。 根据对空气和水的不同需求，不同生物会住在潮间带的不同区域。

What is life like in a tide pool? Tide pools are full of sea life. You can see these creatures when the tide goes out. Usually, the more places there are for animals to hide or attach themselves, the more animals you will find in a tide pool. The tide pools with the most animals usually occur in rocky areas. The material the animals live in or attach themselves to is called the substrate. In tide pools, the substrate is usually rocks or sand.

潮池里的生活是什么样的？ 潮池里住满了海洋生物。 退潮的时候你就能看到这些小家伙。 一般来说，能供动物躲藏、附着的地方越多，潮池里的动物就越多。 动物最多的潮池通常都在岩石区。 动物栖息或附着的基底叫做底质。 在潮池里，底质一般是岩石或者沙子。