What if the moon were a larger size, what possible effects may it have on Earth’s environment and life’s evolution? 

Gravitational Impacts:

Based on all of the evidence, my interpretation is the moon’s size will greatly affect the Earth as a whole due to a greater gravity pull which results in higher sea levels. A larger moon could have greater shifts in the gravitational pull that it experiences with various parts of the Earth, which would mean higher and stronger tides. Coastal regions may be significantly impacted by this, with an increase in the severity and frequency of erosion, flooding, and storms.

Characteristics of the Moon:

The Moon is the fifth largest moon in the solar system. 3,474 km is the circumference measured side to side. This equals to almost 25% of the diameter of the Earth. This indicates four moons could orbit the earth side by side. The Moon and Earth are separated by 384,400 kilometres. Thirty Earth planets could fit between us and the Moon. The Moon has less gravity than Earth. Its force is around 0.6 times stronger than Earth’s gravity. This is as a result of the Moon’s reduced mass in relation to Earth. The pull of the moon slows down Earth’s rotation, this process is known as tide braking, nonetheless, if the moon were a greater mass, that refers to extended days since the moon would orbit more slowly expanding our day by 2.3 milliseconds per century.

The theory of Moon effects:

Over billions of years, the gravitational pull of the moon caused the planet’s axis of tilt decrease, creating an environment that was relatively stable that was beneficial for the growth of life. This might have had a significant role in allowing Earth to become a livable planet. Furthermore, theses consequences can lead to how people live on a daily basis since the probability of tides and waves would increase which changes the way of life for coastal areas. The greatest impact would be the tides becoming more frequent and taller.

Overall, this theory presents many proof and evidence revealing the potential possibilities of this outcome regards to the Moon and Earth. The reproductive cycle of marine life is also impacted by the moon’s tides. For instance, the tides control when turtle eggs are laid and hatch. Their periods of reproduction usually connect with different phases of the lunar cycle. However, the life’s evolution may shift how animals act as will developing unique variety of behaviours and adaptations resulting into different forms of life. Even some plants that grow under the moon can blossom at different times or in various cycles.

References

Choi, C. Q. (2021, December 13). The moon: Everything you need to know about Earth’s companion. Space.com. https://www.space.com/55-earths-moon-formation-composition-and-orbit.html#

Widiyanto, R. (2023, November 20). How a larger Moon would change life on Earth. Medium. https://medium.com/predict/how-a-larger-moon-would-change-life-on-earth-e67f6770f03a#:~:text=One%20of%20the%20most%20noticeable,tides%20higher%20and%20more%20powerful.

The Schools’ Observatory. Earth’s Moon | The Schools’ Observatory. (n.d.). https://www.schoolsobservatory.org/learn/astro/solsys/moons/earthmoon#:~:text=It%20is%203%2C474%20km%20from,by%20side%20across%20the%20Earth.

How has the moon transformed our evolution?. Down To Earth. (n.d.). https://www.downtoearth.org.in/blog/science-technology/how-has-the-moon-transformed-our-evolution–90634#:~:text=Billions%20of%20years%20ago%2C%20when,for%20life%20to%20evolve%20quickly.