ABSTRACT
For most coasts, the importance of tides lies in the way they help to determine the areal extent of the coastline that is affected by marine processes. Only in certain coastal environments, such as estuaries, do tides themselves and the currents they produce become a powerful agent of erosion and deposition. This chapter covers:
Tides are a natural phenomenon that most people are aware of to a degree. They represent an everyday part of living at the coast and, indeed, many coastal activities (e.g. sailing, fishing, beachcombing) are strongly influenced by the state of the tide. But tides are cyclical and very predictable, and because of this people living at the coast must have accepted at a very early stage the control exerted by the tide on their lives and the pace at which they live.
