How are tides produced and what is their pattern

A BRIEF EXPLANATION OF THE BASIC ASTRONOMICAL FACTORS WHICH PRODUCE TIDES AND TIDAL CURRENTS The word "tides" is a generic term used to define the alternating rise and fall in sea level with respect to the land, produced by the gravitational attraction of the moon and the sun. Additional nonastronomical factors such as configuration of the coastline, local depth of the water, ocean-floor topography, and other hydrographic and meteorological influences may play an important role in altering the range, interval between high and low water, an times of arrival of the tides.

Spring Tides and Neap Tides Another complication of a realistic model is that not only the Moon, but other objects in the Solar System, influence the Earth's tides. For most their tidal forces are negligible on Earth, but the differential gravitational force of the Sun does influence our tides to some degree (the effect of the Sun on Earth tides is less than half that of the Moon).

Spring and Neap Tides Click Me

Why do tides exist? Tides are caused by gravitational attraction. The Sun, which has a huge mass, has a significant effect on the Earth, even though it is at a great distance. The Moon, which has a small mass compared with the Sun, has an even greater effect because it is so much closer to the Earth

Tide Patterns The time between high tide and high tide is just under 12 hours This means that every day the high water time will be 6 hours earlier. As you travel west or east along the coast the time of the tides will vary accordingly.