It's tempting to trust only your eyes, especially when a side-by-side photo seems to prove a point. 

But appearances can fool you — especially when it comes to ocean tides and sea levels. Comparing two beach or harbor snapshots from different years might feel like evidence, but without context, it's just guesswork.

In a TikTok video, science communication Ph.D. student Sara (@francelot) breaks down the misunderstanding with a calm, measured tone and a pinch of pop culture flair. 

@francelot_ @itsadamrich Hope this explains why you can't see the waves. #climatechange #climateliteracy #scienceeducation #scicomm #greenscreen ♬ original sound - Sara | PhD Student

Using a clip from the show Good Omens, she illustrates the key point: "There's actually a really simple explanation" for why sea level rise isn't obvious in certain photos. Spoiler: It's got nothing to do with sea levels not rising.

The video shows Sara explaining that the ocean doesn't rise like a splashy wave in a movie. Instead, tides are massive, slow-moving waves created by the moon's pull, stretching across entire oceans. 

"The tides are waves," she says. "Tides are waves with the wavelength of half the circumference of the Earth."

So why can't we see them in those comparison pictures? Turns out, it's all about scale. 

"We're zoomed in too close," she says. 

Think about trying to see the curve of the Earth from your backyard — it doesn't work like that. Same idea with tidal waves.

Sara then shares how misleading these photo comparisons can be. At New York City's Battery Park, sea levels have risen roughly one foot over the past century. But the tide swings up to five feet every day. That means if one photo was taken at high tide and another at low tide, the difference from rising seas could get drowned out. 

Do you think your city has good air quality? Definitely 🥰 Somewhat 😮‍💨 Depends on the time of year 😷 Not at all 🤢 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

"They're gonna end up looking the same," she explains.

So no, your eyes aren't deceiving you. But the photo might be.

This kind of misinformation isn't new. Another story addressed how TikTok users spread climate myths aimed at Gen X. Others have debunked wild claims that the government is manipulating weather.

And that meme? It's been around for a while. The Associated Press has already debunked it using science-backed data.   

Commenters under Sara's video didn't hold back. 

One user wrote, "I don't understand how people can't understand this and then they say that their point is common sense!" 

Another joked, "But how can you say the globe is warming, it was cold last night." 

And one joked, "Why can I only see beyond the wall when I am on ladder?"

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