What are temporary changes in sea level caused by gravitational effects called?

Temporary changes in sea level caused by gravitational effects are known as tidal fluctuations. These fluctuations are primarily influenced by the gravitational pull of the moon and the sun, as well as the centrifugal forces resulting from the Earth’s rotation. As the moon orbits the Earth, its gravitational force causes the water to bulge out in the direction of the moon, leading to higher sea levels (high tides) in that area. Conversely, on the opposite side of the Earth, another bulge occurs resulting from the centrifugal force, leading to high tides there as well. The areas between these bulges experience lower sea levels (low tides).

Tidal fluctuations are a significant phenomenon in coastal and marine environments, impacting navigation, marine ecosystems, and human activities along coastlines. Other options mentioned in the question such as orthometric heights, geospatial data, and reference ellipsoid pertain to different concepts in the field of geospatial science and do not specifically describe the temporary changes in sea level due to gravitational effects. Orthometric heights refer to the heights measured with respect to the geoid, while geospatial data encompasses all forms of data related to the geographic location and characteristics of features on the Earth’s surface. The reference ellipsoid is a mathematical model used to approximate the