Tides are the rising and falling of Earth's ocean surface caused by the tidal forces of the Moon and the Sun acting on the oceans. Tidal phenomena can occur in any object that is subjected to a gravitational field that varies in time and space, such as the Earth's land masses. (see Other tides). Tides noticeably affect the depth of marine and estuarine water bodies and produce oscillating currents known as tidal streams, making prediction of tides very important for coastal navigation (see Tides and navigation). The strip of seashore that is submerged at high tide and exposed at low tide, the intertidal zone, is an important ecological product of ocean tides (see Intertidal ecology). The changing tide produced at a given location is the result of the changing positions of the Moon and Sun relative to the Earth coupled with the effects of Earth rotation and the local shape of the sea floor.The

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