Ms.
Hubbard
Science 7
10 December 2021
The Moon and the Tides: Background Research
I will be investigating the relationship between the Moon and Tides and if the phases of
the Moon pose an effect on the Tides. If that is the case, then how do Moon phases affect
something so seemingly removed from it like the Tides that sweep throughout the various oceans
in our world? I only started to develop a fascination with both the Moon and the Tides recently,
however I often remember how occasionally I would gaze up at the Moon and also how I
watched the Tides in our beach pour in and out. These admittedly limited interactions did spark
my interest in if, and how, the Moon and the Tides were connected. I would spend some time
whenever I was free listening to the phases of the Moon and what they were. Next, I would begin
(casually) researching the varied heights of the Tides and how they could shift across the year.
My mild-mannered “investigations” into Moon phases and Tide heights from years ago and my
memory of them have inspired me to conduct research into the relationship between Moon and
Tide. There have been several published research projects attempting to understand and explore
this relationship in the past, however I wish to carry out the investigation under my own
prerogative in order to further advance my understanding.
The Moon possesses many different phases that change consistently over time. The four
primary phases of the Moon for my experiment are the New Moon, the First Quarter Moon, Full
Moon, and the Third Quarter Moon. The First Quarter Moon is more commonly known as a ‘half
moon’and the Full Moon is a Moon where its entirety is completely encompassed by reflecting
sunlight. The Moon changes its phases because of it and the Earth’s orbiting around the Sun and
how the reflective sunlight is positioned upon the Moon. The lunar positioning of both the Sun
and Moon are primarily responsible for sunlight and how we define what is considered to be
“day” and what is considered to be “night”.
Tides are the rise and fall period waves which strike throughout the oceans which
function as responses to the lunar force of the Sun and the Moon. They can also be called the
term “water levels”. Water levels often shift and change in their size and general intensity, as
such when water levels are high they are called high Tides, and when they are low they are
termed low Tides. The difference in height between high tides and low tides are called tidal
ranges. The Moon, Sun, and the Earth are engaged in a gravitational “tug-of-war” that heavily
influences and affects tidal heights. The Sun and the Moon create a “tidal bulge” (a product of
gravitational force that affects tidal height) whose location and overall effect depends on the
orbit of the Moon around Earth. With this information, I’ve determined that yes indeed, the
phases of the Moon at least partially affect the Tides.
In conclusion, the phases of the Moon do indeed affect the height and range of the Tides.
This is because they represent the orbit of the Moon around the Sun and the subsequent
gravitational force that exerts upon the Earth which shifts the Tides. The gravitational force
exerted by the Moon is shifted by the phases of the Moon and as such, consequently affects the
exact size of the Tides.
APA Citations for Reference
- What are tides? (n.d.). National Ocean Service. Retrieved from
https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/tides.html
- Moon Phases / Lunar Phases Explained. (n.d.). MoonConnection. Retrieved from
https://www.moonconnection.com/moon_phases.phtml
- Byrd, D. (2021, December 3). Tides, and the pull of the moon and the sun. EarthSky.
Retrieved from https://earthsky.org/earth/tides-and-the-pull-of-the-moon-and-sun/
- Hocken, V. / Bikos, K. / Jones, G. (n.d.). What Causes Tides. Timeanddate. Retrieved
from https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/moon/tides.html
- Venton, D. (2020, January 10). King Tides: A Story of the Moon, Sun and Sea. KQED.
Retrieved from
https://www.kqed.org/science/1955598/king-tides-are-here-why-they-happen-and-what-t
hey-teach-us
