What effect does an apogean spring tide have on tidal ranges?

An apogean spring tide occurs when the moon is at apogee, which is the farthest point in its orbit from the Earth. This positioning leads to a reduced gravitational pull on the Earth's oceans compared to when the moon is at perigee, or its closest point. As a result, the tidal ranges during an apogean spring tide are smaller than those experienced during regular spring tides, where the moon is closer to Earth.

Spring tides typically occur when the sun and moon are aligned, either during full and new moons, resulting in higher high tides and lower low tides. However, the unique aspect of apogean spring tides is that even though the alignment still produces a spring tide effect, being at apogee means that the overall tidal range is diminished due to the decreased gravitational influence. Thus, the effect of an apogean spring tide is to produce tides that are smaller than regular spring tides.