Why are high tides higher than normal and low tides lower than normal during a new moon? Gravity from both the sun and the moon pulls on the oceans from the same side of the earth. When the moon's light is absent, the ocean water temperature decreases drastically and is not affected by the pull of gravity. The sun's gravity pulls on the oceans more than the moon's gravity. During a new moon, the moon's gravity doesn't affect the earth or the oceans.