Tides and Storm Surges
What are tides?
Tides are the periodic rise and fall in the level of the sea.
What causes tides? How do they work?
Tides are caused by the gravitational pull of the sun and moon, the moon influences the move of tides more as it is nearer. The water is pulled towards the moon this creates a high tide, on the opposite side of the earth there is a compensatory bulge. The tide is the lowest in the areas between the two bulges. The high tides follow the moon as it orbits the earth; there is a high tide every 12 hours and 25 minutes (twice a day). The moon sun and earth are in a straight line twice every lunar month this is when the tidal raising force is strongest and there is the highest monthly tidal range, this is also known as a spring tide. The opposite is when the moon and san are at 90 degrees of each other in relation to the earth, this gives the lowest monthly tidal range also known as a neap tide.
