marine bio beaches/estuaries

Armored Beach

Shorelines protected by large rocks/boulders (sometimes man made)

Backwash

when waves go back from shore

Barrier Island

• formed as waves rapidly deposit sediment

• parallel to shore lines

• start as a sandbar and grow over time (can also be taken away)

Beach Face

• where waves are breaking

• wet at high tide

• dry at low tide

Beach renourishment

• the process of dredging and pumping sediment from off the shore and brining it to the beach

• increases width of the beach

• man made- major storms take it away

• has to be redone periodically

Berm Scarp

• steep slope/drop off

• created by waves hitting the same part

Berms

• raised section of the sand

• where we hangout

Brackish water

fresh water and salt water

cliff

• steep rocky base

• not always present

• often leads to erosion

depositional coast

• secondary coast

• areas where more sediment is added to the shore, than is taken away

• where beaches are growing

• formed by waves, currents, tides, bring sediment to the shore line

• have a gentle slope to them

dredging

the process of excavating sediments and debris from the bottom of waterways, like rivers, lakes, and harbors, to maintain navigability and improve water quality

Estuaries

• behind barrier island

• partially enclosed water

• an ideal habitat

• shallow water, lots of sunlight, lots of nutrients, many places for creatures to hide

Euryhaline

being able to tolerate a wide range of salinities, making organisms able to live in salt or fresh water

Fiddler Crab

have a big claw used for attracting mates, and fighting

Hook

sand spit that has a curve at the end, happens because of wave pattern

Inlet

a small arm of the sea, a lake, or a river

Jetties

• interrupt/redirect the longshore currents

• keep sandbars from filling in, why we have waterways

• between barrier islands

• build up of sediment on one side and erosion on the other

Longshore currents

an ocean current that moves parallel to the shoreline

Longshore drift

The movement of material, such as sand and stones, along a coastline caused by the movement of waves

Low tide terrace

• only exposed during low tide

• very gentle slope into the water

• the end is like a “drop off”

Oyster reef

underwater ecosystems formed by dense aggregations of oysters that provide important habitat, filter water, and protect coastlines

Primary Coast

• formed by land based processes, not by the ocean

• made by things like rivers, volcanos, glaciers, tectonic plates

• tides WON’T change these beaches

Salt marsh grasses

salt-tolerant plants, particularly grasses, that thrive in coastal areas where saltwater mixes with freshwater, like estuaries and along coastlines protected from strong waves

Sand bar

• aka off shore bar

• can be submerged or partially exposed

• formed by sediments because of wave action

• run parallel to the shore

Sand bubbler crab

filter food through sand, “clean” the beaches, make those little sand balls

seagrass bed

• absorb nutrients from the water

• stabilize the sea floor - MAJOR protective factor

• help to clarify water both physically and chemically (absorb things out of water)

• oysters, muscles, clams hangout here

Secondary coast

• formed by waves, currents, marine life, and tides

• oceans can reshape/change what they look like

• often way older beaches

stenohaline

require a specific range of salinity for survival

Summer berm

• formed by gentle waves

• usually pretty wide

• parallel to shore line

swash

when waves are approaching the shore, comes at an angle

tombolo

• narrow strip of sand that connects an island to the mainland or one island to another

• formed by waves and sediment

• as waves approach land they loose energy

trough

• a little dip right after the terrace

• waves also break here

• right before the first sand bar

turbidity

murky, cloudy

uplands

• dry area above the beach, not being effected by waves/tides

• boundary between land and sea

winter berm

• stronger waves in winter

• much thinner area

• waves pull sand off of it