Atmospheric Tides Ocean tides are caused by the gravitational pull of the moon and sun. Find out more about tides in the atmosphere. Photo courtesy NOAA .
Gravity pulls both air and water towards itself as Earth rotates underneath.
While developing an explanation for ocean tides, Sir Isaac Newton first suggested the possibility of gravitational tides in Earth's atmosphere . . . Today we know that air tides are barely measurable near Earth's equator, where tidal effects are at their strongest. That's not enough to make or modify local weather. Meanwhile, ocean tides are more noticeable, especially if you're watching from an island or coastline. And ocean tides magnify dramatically when they ram into offshore continental shelves or get squeezed into bays.