Tides in the ocean are primarily caused by the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon and, to a lesser extent, the Sun on Earth's oceans. The Moon's gravitational pull creates a tidal force that causes the water to bulge out on the side of Earth closest to the Moon and also on the opposite side. These bulges correspond to high tides. As Earth rotates, different areas pass through these bulges, experiencing two high tides and two low tides each day in most coastal regions
. The Sun also influences tides, but its effect is about half that of the Moon because, although it is much more massive, it is also much farther away. When the Earth, Moon, and Sun align during full and new moons, their combined gravitational pull produces higher "spring tides." When the Sun and Moon are at right angles, their forces partially cancel out, leading to lower "neap tides"
. In summary, tides result from the interplay of gravitational forces from the Moon and Sun acting on Earth's oceans, combined with Earth's rotation causing the cyclical rise and fall of sea levels.
