A tide pool on Gabriola Island, British Columbia showing ochre sea stars

Tide pools (also tidal pools or rock pools) are rocky pools by oceans that are filled with seawater. Tide pools can either be small and shallow or large and deep. The small ones are usually found far back on the shore and the large ones are found nearer to the ocean. Tide pools are formed as a high tide comes in over a rocky shore. Water fills depressions in the ground, which turn into isolated pools as the tide retreats. This process, repeated twice a day, replenishes the seawater in what otherwise might be a stagnant pool. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2048x1536, 745 KB) Taken on Gabriola Island, British Columbia in 2004 by user:Clayoquot File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2048x1536, 745 KB) Taken on Gabriola Island, British Columbia in 2004 by user:Clayoquot File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Gabriola Island (49°9′N 123°47′W) is an island on the West coast of British Columbia, Canada between mainland BC and Vancouver Island. ... Animated map exhibiting the worlds oceanic waters. ... Annual mean sea surface salinity for the World Ocean. ... “Ebb tide” redirects here. ... Water stagnation occurs when water stops flowing. ...

The area that is covered by high tide and exposed by low tide is called the intertidal zone, or foreshore. This area is often further divided into different zones based on the life forms that live there. The foreshore, also called the intertidal or littoral zone, is that part of a beach that lies between average high tide and average low tide. ...

Life in tide pools

Sea Anemone

Well camouflaged tide pool sculpin is eating a shrimp

Life is tough for plants and animals that live in tide pools. Here portions of the shoreline are regularly covered and uncovered by the advance and retreat of the tides. In order to survive, tide pool life forms must avoid being washed away by the tidal waves, keep from drying out in the sunlight of low tide, and avoid being eaten. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1632 × 1224 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1632 × 1224 pixel, file size: 1. ... Families Many, see text. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1632 × 1224 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1632 × 1224 pixel, file size: 1. ... Genera Alcichthys Andriashevicottus Antipodocottus Archaulus Argyrocottus Artedielloides Artediellus Artedius Ascelichthys Asemichthys Astrocottus Bero Bolinia Chitonotus Clinocottus Cottiusculus Cottus Daruma Enophrys Furcina Gymnocanthus Hemilepidotus Icelinus Icelus Jordania Leiocottus Leptocottus Megalocottus Mesocottus Micrenophrys Microcottus Myoxocephalus Ocynectes Oligocottus Orthonopias Paricelinus Phallocottus Phasmatocottus Porocottus Pseudoblennius Radulinopsis Radulinus Ricuzenius Ruscarius Scorpaenichthys Sigmistes Stelgistrum Stlegicottus Stlengis...

Organisms that have made tidepools their home must be well adapted to adjust to the drastic changes in environment that come with the changing of tides each day. Organisms living in this environment must have adaptions for both wet and dry conditions. Hazards include being smashed or carried away by rough waves. Typical inhabitants include sea anemones, barnacles, chitons, crabs, isopods, limpets, mussels, starfish, snails, sea cucumbers, sea urchins, and whelks. Families Many, see text. ... Superorders Acrothoracica Thoracica Rhizocephala A barnacle is a type of arthropod belonging to infraclass Cirripedia in the subphylum Crustacea and is hence distantly related to crabs and lobsters. ... Families See text. ... Superfamilies Dromiacea Homolodromioidea Dromioidea Homoloidea Eubrachyura Raninoidea Cyclodorippoidea Dorippoidea Calappoidea Leucosioidea Majoidea Hymenosomatoidea Parthenopoidea Retroplumoidea Cancroidea Portunoidea Bythograeoidea Xanthoidea Bellioidea Potamoidea Pseudothelphusoidea Gecarcinucoidea Cryptochiroidea Pinnotheroidea * Ocypodoidea * Grapsoidea * An asterisk (*) marks the crabs included in the clade Thoracotremata. ... SubOrders Anthuridea Asellota Calabozoida Epicaridea Flabellifera Microcerberidea Oniscidea Phreatoicidea Valvifera Isopods are one of the most diverse orders of Crustaceans, with many species living in all environments, and are common in shallow marine waters. ... Suborders See text. ... Subclasses Pteriomorpha (marine mussels) Palaeoheterodonta (freshwater mussels) Heterodonta (zebra mussels) The term mussel is used for several families of bivalve molluscs inhabiting lakes, rivers, and creeks, as well as intertidal areas along coastlines worldwide. ... Orders Brisingida (100 species[1]) Forcipulatida (300 species[2]) Paxillosida (255 species[3]) Notomyotida (75 species[4]) Spinulosida (120 species[5]) Valvatida (695 species[6]) Velatida (200 species[7]) For other uses, see Starfish (disambiguation). ... The name snail applies to most members of the molluscan class Gastropoda that have coiled shells. ... Orders Subclass Apodacea Apodida Molpadiida Subclass Aspidochirotacea Aspidochirotida Elasipodida Subclass Dendrochirotacea Dactylochirotida Dendrochirotida The sea cucumber is an echinoderm of the class Holothuroidea, with an elongated body and leathery skin, which is found on the sea floor worldwide. ... Subclasses Euechinoidea Superorder Atelostomata Order Cassiduloida Order Spatangoida (heart urchins) Superorder Diadematacea Order Diadematoida Order Echinothurioida Order Pedinoida Superorder Echinacea Order Arbacioida Order Echinoida Order Phymosomatoida Order Salenioida Order Temnopleuroida Superorder Gnathostomata Order Clypeasteroida (sand dollars) Order Holectypoida Perischoechinoidea Order Cidaroida (pencil urchins) Sea urchins are small spiny sea creatures... A whelk is a large marine gastropod (snail) found in temperate waters. ...

The tides bring fresh oxygen and food to the pools twice a day. Between tides, some of the smaller pools become warm and begin to dry up. In order to survive, the animals hide under rocks and seaweed. Sessile creatures such as the barnacles can seal themselves off or retract their appendages, the better to conserve water while exposed to air. Some deeper pools will not dry out completely between tides, and can even harbor small fish. General Name, Symbol, Number oxygen, O, 8 Chemical series nonmetals, chalcogens Group, Period, Block 16, 2, p Appearance colorless (gas) very pale blue (liquid) Standard atomic weight 15. ... Ascophyllum nodosum exposed to the sun in Nova Scotia, Canada Dead Mans Fingers (Codium fragile) off Massachusetts coast For the Marine Biology Summer internship Marine Algae by Friday Harbor Laboratories, see; Marine Algae For the band, see; Seaweed (band) For the rock musician, see; Seaweed (musician) Seaweeds are any... Look up sessile in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... For other uses, see Fish (disambiguation). ...

It should be noted that disturbing the animals in a tide pool can be hazardous to them. Even moving seaweed can expose small creatures underneath that can die in the direct sun, and prying loose any creatures held fast to the rocks is almost always fatal to the animal.

External links

• Tidal swimming pools in Britain