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Karumba Tides - Activities
Meanings
What do these phrases mean in this article? (A dictionary and thesaurus will help!)
- your standard two high tides and two low tides a day
- the tide at Karumba is back to average height
- complicating factors
- timing is critical
- slosh along
- potential
Questions
1. Find Derby, Karumba and the Gulf of Carpentaria on a map.
2. What is unusual about tides at Derby?
3. What is unusual about tides at Karumba?
4. What are the "complicating factors"?
5. Why is the Gulf of Carpentaria "virtually a closed body of water"?
6. What is the "enormous coincidence" that makes Karumba have only one tide each day?
Cloze Activity
Here are some extracts from the article. Complete the sentences by filling in the spaces.
As the twice-a-day tide comes _________ the top of Australia from the Indian _________ into the Gulf of Carpentaria, it _________ to pass through the mouth of the _________. The twice-a-day tide heading into the Gulf _________ trapped by this potential 12-hour-wave _________ exists across the mouth of the Gulf. Very little twice-a-day _________ is left over to go into the Gulf. Now _________ next most energetic tide _________ the once-a-day tide. This _________ gets through because its timing is _________. And that's why you have only one _________ a day at _________. (The other tides get through as _________, but you don't notice them because _________ are so small.)
Summary
This article has a number of sections. Each sections has a main point. Work out the main point of these sections and write them here.
The tide at Karumba
Why there are many different tide cycles
Why Karumba has only one tide each day
Other places that have only one tide each day
Debate
Think of all the arguments for and against this statement. (To help you, use this article and others that you can find.)
"We will never be able to explain everything about the environment."
Research
Use this article, the Internet and libraries to find information on one of these topics:
1. The size and shape of Gulf of Carpentaria, and how water flows in and out of it.
2. The last paragraph of the article mentions a number of other places on Earth which also have one tide. Compare the sizes and shapes of all these gulfs and seas.
Instructions to Students
Use the library or the Internet to collect information about the topic. Find at least four different articles or chapters.
Write down about three ideas from each article you find.
You now have about a dozen ideas on this topic. Choose which idea is the most important, which is second-most important, and so on.
Write them in order, from most important to least important.
Write a paragraph to explain each idea.
Write down where you found the information you used. This is your "bibliography".
Be prepared to deliver your report on the date it is due!
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