Explain what causes spring and neap tides, and identify the phases of the moon when these tides occur.

Answer 1

Spring tides and neap tides are caused by the gravitational forces of the Moon and the Sun acting on the Earth's oceans.

During a spring tide, the gravitational forces of the Moon and the Sun combine to create the highest high tides and the lowest low tides. This happens when the Moon is either in its new moon phase or its full moon phase. In these phases, the Sun, Moon, and Earth are aligned, causing the gravitational forces to act in the same direction and creating a strong tidal pull. The high tides during a spring tide are particularly high as both the Moon and the Sun's gravitational forces are working together.

On the other hand, neap tides occur when the gravitational forces of the Moon and the Sun act perpendicular to each other. This happens when the Moon is in its first quarter or third quarter phase. During neap tides, the high tides are not as high as during spring tides, and the low tides are not as low. This is because the gravitational forces of the Moon and Sun partially cancel each other out, resulting in weaker tidal pull.

In summary, spring tides occur during the new moon and full moon phases when the gravitational forces of the Moon and Sun are aligned, resulting in higher high tides and lower low tides. Neap tides occur during the first quarter and third quarter phases, when the gravitational forces of the Moon and Sun are perpendicular to each other, resulting in weaker tidal pull and less extreme tidal range.