neap tide

Weakest tidal range

A neap tide is the minimal tidal range occurring twice monthly, when the sun and moon are at right angles to Earth and their gravitational pulls partially cancel.

The opposite of a spring tide.

Neap tides produce the smallest difference between high and low water: We scheduled the beach cleanup during the neap tide when more sand would be exposed.

lunar

quarter moon

Fifty percent lunar illumination

first quarterMoon half-visible, growing
third quarter75% through a cycle
moon phasesShifting illumination of satellite

gravitational pull · lunation · waxing · waning · crescent · gibbous · lunar month · lunar cycle · syzygy · new moon

tidal

ebb and flow

Cyclical rise and decline

slack waterMotionless tidal period
high waterMaximum tidal level
low waterMinimum tide level

intertidal

mudflat

Exposed shore sediment

sandbarUnderwater ridge of sediment
littoralRelating to seashores
strandlineTide's deposit line

estuary · flats · beachcombing · clamming · oystering · wading · foraging · shorebirds · kelp · rockpool

nautical

navigation

Determining position and course

harborSafe anchorage for ships
mooringVessel's secured resting place
dockingConnecting to a port

nautical charts · seafaring · maritime · piloting · anchorage · shipping · coastal navigation · sailing

Categories

Ocean Phenomenatsunami, rogue wave, ocean current, swells, whirlpool
tides (juvenile)water levels, ocean, waves, shore, shoreline
coastal processeswaves, currents, surf, breakers, swash
tidal features
tidal movementsebb, flow, slack water, slack, diurnal
tidal phenomena

Opposites

tidal range magnitude

neap tidespring tide

Extreme tidal fluctuation

king tide · flood tide · ebb tide

Family

tide, tides, tidal, tided, riptide, intertidal, high tide, neap, low tide

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