Tide is an interesting weather phenomenon which occurs due to the action of gravitational forces of the sun and the moon on the oceans. Tides happen in cycles of rising and falling of the ocean surface.

Properties of Tides :

•  Tides are responsible for changing the depths of estuaries and marine water bodies.

•  They produce tidal streams which are actually oscillating water currents. This helps in the forecasting of tides which is necessary for navigation in coastal areas.

•  The intertidal zone, which is the portion of the shore that remains under water during high tide and exposed during low tide is very good ecological result of tides .

Facts about Tides :

•  At flood tide the sea water takes a number of hours to rise on the beach.

•  At high tide level of water is the highest. It is also known as slack tide or slack water as the tidal currents stop. The tide turns or reverses its direction.

•  At ebb tide the level of the sea takes many hours to go down.

•  At low tide the level of water becomes fixed.

Types of Tides :

•  Semidiurnal tides consist of 2 high and low tides in a day.

•  Diurnal tides have a single tidal cycle in a day.

Importance of Tides :

•  Tides influence navigation in a big way. If tidal positions are not given importance major mistakes can happen.

•  Studies in intertidal ecology lead to the knowledge of various intertidal species. Organisms which live in the intertidal zone have adapted to a very unfriendly environment