Tidal range - wikipedia Tidal range The tidal range is the vertical difference between the high tide and the succeeding low tide. Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon and the Sun and the rotation of the Earth. The tidal range is not constant but changes depending on the locations of the sun and the moon. The most extreme tidal range occurs during spring tides, when the gravitational forces of both the Sun and Moon are aligned ( syzygy ), reinforcing each other in the same direction ( new moon ) or in opposite directions ( full moon ). During neap tides, when the Moon and Sun 's gravitational force vectors act in quadrature ( making a right angle to the Earth 's orbit ), the difference between high and low tides is smaller. Neap tides occur during the first and last quarters of the moon 's phases. The largest annual tidal range can be expected around the time of the equinox, if coincidental with a spring tide. Tidal data for coastal areas is published by the national hydrographic service of the country concerned. Tidal data is based on astronomical phenomena and is predictable. Storm force winds blowing from a steady direction for a prolonged time interval combined with low barometric pressure can increase the tidal range, particularly in narrow bays. Such weather - related effects on the tide, which can cause ranges in excess of predicted values and can cause localized flooding, are not calculable in advance. Contents 1 Geography 2 Classification 3 See also 4 References Geography The typical tidal range in the open ocean is about 0.6 metres ( 2 feet ). Closer to the coast, this range is much greater. Coastal tidal ranges vary globally and can differ anywhere from near zero to over 11 metres ( 38 feet ). The exact range depends on the volume of water adjacent to the coast, and the geography of the basin the water sits in. Larger bodies of water have higher ranges, and the geography can act as a funnel amplifying or dispersing the tide. The world 's largest tidal range of 16.3 metres ( 53.5 feet ) occurs in Bay of Fundy, Canada, and the United Kingdom regularly experiences tidal ranges up to 15 metres between England and Wales in the Severn Estuary. The top 50 locations with the largest tidal ranges worldwide are listed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States. Some of the smallest tidal ranges occur in the Mediterranean, Baltic, and Caribbean Seas. A point within a tidal system where the tidal range is almost zero is called an amphidromic point. Classification The tidal range has been classified as : Micromareal, when the tidal range is lower than 2 metres. Mesomareal, when the tidal range is between 2 metres and 4 metres. Macromareal, when the tidal range is higher than 4 metres. See also Tide References Jump up ^ Hydrographic and Oceanographic Agencies ^ Jump up to : NOAA. `` FAQ2 Where are the highest tides ? ''. Retrieved 27 Jan 2011. Jump up ^ NOAA. `` It appears that the range of the tides gets larger the further the location from the equator. What causes this ? ? ''. Retrieved 27 Jan 2011. Jump up ^ NOAA. `` The highest tide in the world is in Canada ''. Retrieved 23 January 2014. Jump up ^ Masselink, G. ; Short, A.D. ( 1993 ). `` The effect of tidal range on beach morphodynamics and morphology : a conceptual beach model ''. Journal of Coastal Research. 9 ( 3 ) : 785 -- 800. ISSN 0749 - 0208. hide Physical oceanography Waves Airy wave theory Ballantine scale Benjamin -- Feir instability Boussinesq approximation Breaking wave Clapotis Cnoidal wave Cross sea Dispersion Edge wave Equatorial waves Fetch Gravity wave Green 's law Infragravity wave Internal wave Iribarren number Kelvin wave Kinematic wave Longshore drift Luke 's variational principle Mild - slope equation Radiation stress Rogue wave Rossby wave Rossby - gravity waves Sea state Seiche Significant wave height Soliton Stokes boundary layer Stokes drift Stokes wave Swell Trochoidal wave Tsunami megatsunami Undertow Ursell number Wave action Wave base Wave height Wave power Wave radar Wave setup Wave shoaling Wave turbulence Wave -- current interaction Waves and shallow water one - dimensional Saint - Venant equations shallow water equations Wind wave model Circulation Atmospheric circulation Baroclinity Boundary current Coriolis force Coriolis -- Stokes force Craik -- Leibovich vortex force Downwelling Eddy Ekman layer Ekman spiral Ekman transport El Niño -- Southern Oscillation General circulation model Geochemical Ocean Sections Study Geostrophic current Global Ocean Data Analysis Project Gulf Stream Halothermal circulation Humboldt Current Hydrothermal circulation Langmuir circulation Longshore drift Loop Current Modular Ocean Model Ocean dynamics Ocean gyre Princeton ocean model Rip current Subsurface currents Sverdrup balance Thermohaline circulation shutdown Upwelling Whirlpool World Ocean Circulation Experiment Tides Amphidromic point Earth tide Head of tide Internal tide Lunitidal interval Perigean spring tide Rip tide Rule of twelfths Slack water Tidal bore Tidal force Tidal power Tidal race Tidal range Tidal resonance Tide gauge Tideline Landforms Abyssal fan Abyssal plain Atoll Bathymetric chart Coastal geography Cold seep Continental margin Continental rise Continental shelf Contourite Guyot Hydrography Oceanic basin Oceanic plateau Oceanic trench Passive margin Seabed Seamount Submarine canyon Submarine volcano Plate tectonics Convergent boundary Divergent boundary Fracture zone Hydrothermal vent Marine geology Mid-ocean ridge Mohorovičić discontinuity Vine -- Matthews -- Morley hypothesis Oceanic crust Outer trench swell Ridge push Seafloor spreading Slab pull Slab suction Slab window Subduction Transform fault Volcanic arc Ocean zones Benthic Deep ocean water Deep sea Littoral Mesopelagic Oceanic Pelagic Photic Surf Swash Sea level Deep - ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunamis Future sea level Global Sea Level Observing System North West Shelf Operational Oceanographic System Sea - level curve Sea level rise World Geodetic System Acoustics Deep scattering layer Hydroacoustics Ocean acoustic tomography Sofar bomb SOFAR channel Underwater acoustics Satellites Jason - 1 Jason - 2 ( Ocean Surface Topography Mission ) Jason - 3 Related Argo Benthic lander Color of water DSV Alvin Marginal sea Marine energy Marine pollution Mooring National Oceanographic Data Center Ocean Ocean exploration Ocean observations Ocean reanalysis Ocean surface topography Ocean thermal energy conversion Oceanography Pelagic sediment Sea surface microlayer Sea surface temperature Seawater Science On a Sphere Thermocline Underwater glider Water column World Ocean Atlas Commons Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tidal_range&oldid=842502959 '' Categories : Tides Oceanography Hidden categories : All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from January 2010 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Deutsch Español Français Bahasa Melayu Português 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 22 May 2018, at 21 : 41. 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Question: which has a greater tidal range spring or neap tides
Answer: spring tides