 | Term | Definition |
| |
abrasion |
the grinding and scraping of a rock surface by the friction and impact of rock particles carried by water, wind, or ice |
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barrier island |
a low, elongated ridge of sand that parallels the coast |
| |
baymouth bar |
a sandbar that completely crosses a bay, sealing it off from the open ocean |
| |
beach drift |
the transport of sediment in a zigzag pattern along a beach caused by the uprush of water from obliquely breaking waves |
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beach nourishment |
large quantities of sand added to the beach system to offset losses caused by wave erosion |
| |
breakwater |
a structure protecting a nearshore area from breaking waves |
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Coriolis effect |
another factor that influences the movements of ocean waters |
| |
diurnal tidal pattern |
a tidal pattern exhibiting one high tide and one low tide during a tidal day; a daily tide |
| |
emergent coast |
a coast where land that was formerly below sea level has been exposed either because of crustal uplift or a drop in sea level or both |
| |
estuary |
a funnel-shaped inlet of the sea that formed when a rise in sea level or subsidence of land caused the mouth of a river to be flooded |
| |
fetch |
the distance that the wind has traveled across the open water |
| |
groin |
a short wall built at a right angle to the shore to trap moving sand |
| |
gyre |
the large, circular surface-current pattern found in each ocean |
| |
hard stabilization |
any form of artificial structure built to protect a coast or to prevent the movement of sand along a beach; ex include groins, jetties, breakwaters, and seawalls |
| |
longshore current |
a nearshore current that flows parallel to the shore |
| |
marine terrace |
a wave-cut platform that has been exposed above sea level |
| |
mixed tidal pattern [ mixed semidiurnal ] |
a tidal pattern exhibiting 2 high tides and 2 low tides per tidal day with a large inequality in high water heights, low water heights, or both; coastal locations that experience such a tidal pattern may also show alternating periods of diurnal and semidiurnal tidal patterns |
| |
neap tide |
the lowest tidal range, occurring near the times of first and third quarters of the Moon |
| |
sea arch |
an arch formed by wave erosion when caves on opposite sides of a headland unite |
| |
sea stack |
an isolated mass of rock standing just offshore, produced by wave erosion of headland |
| |
seawall |
a barrier constructed to prevent waves from reaching the area behind the wall; its purpose is to defend property from the force of breaking waves |
| |
semidiurnal tidal pattern |
a tidal pattern exhibiting 2 high tides and 2 low tides per tidal day with small inequalities between successive highs and successive lows; a semi-daily tide |
| |
spit |
an elongated ridge of sand that projects from the land into the mouth of an adjacent bay |
| |
spring tide |
the highest tidal range; occurs near the times of new and full moons |
| |
submergent coast |
a coast with a form that is largely the result of the partial drowning of a former land surface either because of a rise of sea level or subsidence of the crust or both |
| |
surf |
a collective term for breakers; also the wave activity in the area between the shoreline and the outer limit of breakers |
| |
thermohaline circulation |
movements of ocean water caused by density differences brought about by variations in temperature and salinity |
| |
tidal current |
the alternating horizontal movement of water associated with the rise and fall of the tide |
| |
tidal delta |
a deltalike feature created when a rapidly moving tidal currrent emerges from a narrow inlet and slows, depositing its load of sediment |
| |
tidal flat |
a marshy or muddy area that is covered and uncovered by the rise and fall of the tide |
| |
tide |
periodic change in the elevation of the ocean surface |
| |
tombolo |
a ridge of sand that connects an island to the mainland or to another island |
| |
upwelling |
the rising of cold water from deeper layers to replace warmer surface water that has been moved away |
| |
wave-cut cliff |
a seawater-facing cliff along a sttep shoreline formed by wave erosion at its base and mass wasting |
| |
wave-cut platform |
a bench or shelf in the bedrock at sea level, cut by wave erosion |
| |
wave height |
the vertical distance between the trough and crest of a wave |
| |
wavelength |
the horizontal distance separating successive crests or troughs |
| |
wave period |
the time interval between the passage of successive crests at a stationary point |
| |
wave refraction [ refraction ] |
the process by which the portion of a wave in shallow water slows, causing the wave to bend and tend to align itself with the underwater contours |
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