some regions of the Earth. People, who resume their lives after the
withdrawal of tides, arrange their entire livesaccording to tides. By
the Will of Allah, oceans rise up to a certain level. This way, they
never become a threat for localpeople.
Think of a water molecule in the ocean. This molecule is under the
influence of the force of gravity. However, the Moon also exerts a
weaker gravitational pull on thismolecule. The distance between the
Moon and the Earth and the Moon'ssmall mass are the principal causes
of this weaker pull of the Moon.This force of gravity of the Moon is
not only influential on this water molecule, but also on all objects
on the Earth. Yet,because all objects are not fluid like liquids,
there exists no apparent changes.
Every region of the Earthdoes not respond to this rise and fall of
oceans at the same rate. That is because the Moon's force of gravity
changes from place to place; the distance between the Moon and the
various points of the Earth is not the same. As a result of this
effective force on oceans, the water rises towards a certain
direction. As the Moon's position in relation to the Earth and the Sun
changes, this force diminishes and tidal regions occur where water
withdraws.
The Sun's gravitational pull also brings about a rise in the oceans.
However, this force affects the Earth by a rate of 1/3.
Because the Moon is nearer to the Earth than the Sun, despite the
Sun's big mass, the Moon's gravitational pullis two and a half times
stronger than the Sun.
No doubt, a tide is only one of the systems in theuniverse that our
All-Mighty Allah has created with flawless miracles. The sensitive
balance in the tide is notlimited to these. As the gravity of the Moon
causes oceans to rise, with a second force, oceans are also pulled
inthe opposite direction ofthe Moon that is towardsthe Earth. While
all of these occur , Earth continues to rotate around itselfs, so
there are two tides happen everyday. The times of tides vary in each
regionas the position of the Sun, the Moon and the Earth changes. For
instance in Northern
California, tides come in twice a day, while in the Mexican Gulf, it
happens only once, in the form ofjust one rise and fall.
LIFE STORIES FROM TIDAL REGIONS
97% of the water that covers more than 70% ofthe Earth is oceans.
According to data provided by the World Resources Institution (WRI),
40% of the world's population lives on the coasts surrounding this
water and from time to time, these people experience tsunamis, storms,
or tides that come into existence with the rise and fall of water.
Especially at regions where natural events such as tides happen, with
respect to the position of the Moon, local people take many
precautions and developvarious forms of living inorder to survive.
Street Fishing
- In tidal regions, sometimes highways arebuilt upon places where
water recedes. However,when water comes back,these highways turn
intoareas where local peoplefish and very interesting scenes occur.
This activity, which is called street fishing, is a way through which
the All-
Mighty Allah offers food from the sea, one of His blessings, to
people. In the Qur'an, our Lord states that He is the One Who bestows
His blessings in the sea:
"It is He Who made the sea subservient to you sothat you can eat fresh
flesh from it and bring out from it ornaments towear. And you see the
ships cleaving through itso that you can seek His bounty, and so that
hopefully you will show thanks."(Qur'an, 16: 71)
Horizontal Falls
The rapid movement of water also causes extraordinary situations such
as falls that flow horizontally.
Flawless Design Well-Matched with Circumstances
Most of the fish living in tidal regions have a structure resistant to
shallow and running water. While water recedes, they need to hide in
small holes so that they are not drifted with the water. They
canaccomplish this by their thin structure and height smaller than 20
cm.
Fins of fish in tidal regions have the design most suitable for their
living conditions. By the fins on their chests, they can hold onto
rocks. Their skin, on the other hand, is created to resist the
constant currents. Some of them have very few scales, whereas some
have none. Instead, various fish secrete a mucus-like fluid that
minimizes friction likely to happen during currents.
Aside from these flawlesstraits, fish living in tidal regions have an
amazing ability of camouflage. Some species constantly change color
where as some others, wherever they may be, can instantly gain the
color and patterns matching the environment.
Another miracle of design in the bodies of fish living in tidal
regions is the mechanism highly resistant to water loss. Thanks to
this mechanism, even if they lose 60% of their body water, they can
survive. The thick skin they have and the mucus they secrete, are the
components of this mechanism slowing down the water loss.
The Miraculous Respiration in Air With Gills …
For fish living in tidal regions, one of the most important problems
is the need for oxygen. Outside of water, gills donot function. But,
their short and thick gill fiberscan take the oxygen they need
directly from the air by the blood vessels concentrating around their
mouth and their skin.
For this reason, fish that remain in ponds can surface and thus meet
their urgent oxygen needs.
Another miraculous trait of tidal fish is their ability to find their
nest under every condition. Generally, most fish species choose a
certain place and live there. However, if they leave this place for
one reasonor another, they can alsoturn back. Older fish have more of
this talent.
Research has shown thatfish kept in the laboratory for as long as 6
months could find their nests back when they were left at sea.
No doubt, living beings having body designs matching the conditions in
tidal regions are only one of the evidences indicating that the
All-Mighty Allah created them. The All-Knowing Allah reveals the
evidence of His unique creation in every corner of the universe. Our
Lordstates in the Qur'an as follows:
"The Originator of the heavens and Earth. When He decides on
something, He just says to it, 'Be!' and it is."(Qur'an, 2:117)
What if the water recedes?
The answer to this question no doubt affects the lives of fish living
in tidal regions. The design of fish living in tidal regions is
perfectly adapted to the conditions in these areas. These
extraordinary designs are only one of the obvious evidences of thefact
that the All-Mighty Allah, Who created all the heavens and the Earth,
creates them in this way.
Tidal regions where ocean water covers twice a day and then recedes
offer very harsh conditions to the fish to survive. When water
recedes, fish that surviveunder rocks, in puddles, and muddy areas,
are generally well camouflaged by their colors matching with
theground. Besides, with the receding of water, they often become
utterly unnoticeable, for they hide under rocks orin-between plants.
Until recently, these fish were thought to be drifted to these regions
with waves. However, recent research has revealed that they were
created with designs appropriate to these tidal regions.
In Australia's Carumba region, water rises up to4.78 m. In Broadsound
town, on the other hand, this rise reaches up to 8 m. However these
figures are rather insignificant next to Australia's highest figures,
for in Derby, water rises up to an average of 11-12 m.
References:
http://www.abc.net.au/science /scribblygum/kingtide /gallery.htm
http://www.windows.ucar.edu /tour/link=/kids_space /earth_galore.html
http://www.abc.net.au/science /scribblygum/kingtide /default.htm
http://faculty.salisbury.edu /~jwhoward/astro108/html/ lec3.HTM
http://www.redtide.whoi.edu /hab/rtphotos/99hkredtide.jpg
No comments:
Post a Comment