The height of ocean tides changes primarily due to which factors?

The height of ocean tides changes primarily due to which factors?

• A. Earth's rotation and Moon's position
• B. Sun's brightness
• C. Earth's distance from Sun
• D. Weather systems

Answer: (A)

Tides come from gravity. The Moon’s gravity pulls on Earth's oceans, creating a bulge on the side closest to the Moon and another on the far side. As the Earth rotates, coastlines move in and out of these bulges, producing the regular rise and fall of sea level. The height of those tides is mainly set by where the Moon is in its orbit (and how the Earth is rotating under the bulges), with the Sun’s gravity adding to or subtracting from that effect. The Sun’s brightness or the distance to the Sun isn’t what drives the regular tide heights, and weather can cause local fluctuations but doesn’t set the overall pattern.

Tides come from gravity. The Moon’s gravity pulls on Earth's oceans, creating a bulge on the side closest to the Moon and another on the far side. As the Earth rotates, coastlines move in and out of these bulges, producing the regular rise and fall of sea level. The height of those tides is mainly set by where the Moon is in its orbit (and how the Earth is rotating under the bulges), with the Sun’s gravity adding to or subtracting from that effect. The Sun’s brightness or the distance to the Sun isn’t what drives the regular tide heights, and weather can cause local fluctuations but doesn’t set the overall pattern.