Carolyn Willard* Age 11,Houston Texas,

What is neap tide?

The old earth takes A. day and night to turn around once on her axis, In that times the tides wash up and down upon the beaches twieeo two high tides, two low tides. High tide is called flood tides low tide is called ebb tide.

Tides are pulled by the moon but the sun also adds a bit to the tugging. Sometimes the sun and moon pull at the earth together. Sometimes they tug from different directions. When sun, moon and earth are in a straight line, the sun and moon join forces and pull together. This happens during the periods of new moon and full moon, At these times  the flood tides are higher and the ebb tides are lower.

In the first and third quarters of the lunar month, the sun and moon are pulling at the earth from different directions. Some of the moon’s pull is canceled out by the pull of the sun. Now the flood tides are lower and the ebb tides are higher.

The highest flood tides in the month are called the spring tidds. The lowest flood tides of the month are called the neap tides.