Spring tides uncover intertidal bands that neap tides never reach
Twice a month, when sun and moon align, spring tides swing higher highs and lower lows than the weaker neap tides of quarter moons.
That extra range briefly exposes upper shore bands — splash zones and high barnacle belts — that stay wetter through neaps, and floods low flats more deeply.
Coastal life is scheduled by astronomy. Spring and neap rhythms decide which meters of rock and mud spend hours in air each fortnight.
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