What leads to the rise and fall of water levels in the sea?
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Tides in the sea, depending on the water, are influenced principally by the moon and, to some extent, the sun. Moon’s Influence: Gravity pull is force exerted by the moon on the earth and since water is liquid it is going to be pulled more so than the land. This leads to a buildup in water on the side of the Earth that faces the moon leading to a high tide. Opposite Bulge: On the opposite side of the earth, there is also a second, though less pronounced, rise or ‘bump’. As this takes place, the Earth is grazed slightly more by the moon than the water on the side away from it, hence creating another high tide. It is this centrifugal force because of this orbit that also helps in the formation of the second bulge since the earth and the moon orbit around a point of gravity known as the barycenter. This is the reason why we have two high tides and two low tides practically within one tidal day, which is approximately equal to 24 hours and 50 minutes. Solar Tides: Similarly, the sun exercises pressure on the earth through gravity, though it’s considerably less than the force exerted by the moon. This happens when the gravitational force of the moon augments that of the sun during the full moon and new moon, leading to higher high tides and low tides known as spring tides. Neap Tides: At the first quarter or third quarter, the force exerted by the sun balances that of the moon and since the force of gravity determines the heights, there are low high tides and high low tides referred as neap tides.
High and low tides happen mainly because of the Moon’s gravitational pull on the Earth’s oceans, with the Sun also having some influence. When the Moon’s gravity pulls on the water on the side of the Earth closest to it, it causes the water to bulge outwards. This bulge creates a high tide in that area since the water is being pulled away from the Earth’s surface.
On the opposite side of the Earth, another high tide occurs. This happens because, as the Moon pulls on the Earth, it creates an opposite effect on the water on the far side. The water there bulges out too, but for a different reason. It’s due to the Earth’s movement and the balance between the gravitational pull and the centrifugal force, which makes the water form another high tide. The areas between these two bulges experience low tides because the water is being pulled toward the high tide areas, leaving less water in these regions.
As the Earth spins on its axis, different parts of the world move through these bulges. This rotation, along with the Moon orbiting the Earth, leads to two high tides and two low tides in most coastal areas every day. The Sun’s gravity also affects the tides, but not as strongly as the Moon because the Sun is much farther away. The height and timing of the tides can also change based on the shape of the coastlines and the ocean floor, making some tides higher or lower than others.
Rising and ebbing tides happen as Earth’s landmasses rotate through the tidal bulges created by the Moon’s gravitational pull. Our observer sees the tides rise when passing through the bulges, and fall when passing through the low points. Of course, in reality the Earth isn’t a smooth ball, so tides are also affected by the presence of continents, the shape of the Earth, the depth of the ocean in different locations, and more. The timing and heights of the tide near you will be affected by those additional elements.
Thia is the main reason for low and high tides.
The Main reason of high tides and low tides is due to the Gravitational pull of Moon, For example, when an area covered by the ocean faces the moon, the moon’s gravitational force on the water causes a high high tide. As the Earth rotates, that area moves away from the moon’s influence and the tide ebbs. Now it is low tide in that area. As the Earth keeps rotating, another high tide occurs in the same area when it is on the side of the Earth opposite the moon (low high tide). As the Earth keeps rotating this goes on… .
While both the Moon and the Sun influence the ocean tides, the Moon plays the biggest role. Although the Sun’s gravitational pull on the Earth is 178 times stronger than the Moon’s, the tidal bulges it causes are much smaller.
This is because, contrary to common belief, tides are not caused by the gravitational forces of the Moon or the Sun lifting up the oceans—their gravitational pull is much too weak for that. Rather, tides are created because the strength and direction of the gravitational pull varies depending on where on Earth you are. This variation creates the differential forces or tidal forces that in turn cause tides.
The tidal forces of the Moon are much stronger than the Sun’s because it is so much close to our planet, causing a much greater variation in the gravitational force from one location to another. The Sun’s gravitational force, on the other hand, varies much less because the Sun is so far away.