What causes the ocean’s tides?

Tides are primarily caused by the gravitational pull of the Moon and the Sun on Earth’s oceans. The Moon’s gravity creates a bulge of water on the side of Earth facing the Moon, which results in high tide. A second high tide occurs on the opposite side of the Earth due to the centrifugal force created by the Earth-Moon system’s rotation. The Sun’s gravitational pull also influences tides, but to a lesser extent than the Moon’s. When the Earth, Moon, and Sun align during new or full moons, spring tides occur, producing higher-than-usual high tides.