What Causes the Tides to Change?

The tides are like the ocean breathing in and out. The Moon pulls on Earth, making the water rise when it's close, that’s high tide. When the Moon moves away, the water falls back, that’s low tide. Sometimes the Sun helps push or pull even more, making the tides bigger.

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Examples

When you're at the beach and the water comes up to your knees, that's a high tide. Later, when it recedes, that's low tide.
Imagine playing tug-of-war with the Moon, the water is being pulled in different directions.
If the Sun joins the Moon’s pull, the tides get even bigger than usual.

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Categories: Science · tides,moon,gravity,oceanography