Longshore Transport

Sediment transport down the beach (parallel to the shoreline) caused by longshore currents and/or waves approaching obliquely to the shoreline.

Glossary of Terms

Pocket Beach

A beach, usually small, in a coastal reentrant or between two littoral barriers (often rocky headlands).

Mean Low Water (MLW)

The average height of the low water over a 19-year period. For shorter periods of observations, corrections are applied to eliminate known variations and reduce the results to the equivalent of a mean 19-year value. All low water heights are included in the average where the type of tide is either semi-diurnal or mixed.

Soil

A layer of weathered, unconsolidated material on top of bedrock; in geologic usage, usually defined as containing organic matter and being capable of supporting plant growth.

Downstream

Along coasts with obliquely approaching waves there is a longshore (wave-driven) current.

Non-point sources of pollution

Multiple, not easily identifiable sources of pollution (e.g. agriculture, urban areas). Also called diffuse sources.

Clay

A fine grained, plastic, sediment with a typical grain size less than 0.004 mm. Possesses electromagnetic properties which bind the grains together to give a bulk strength or cohesion.

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Longshore Transport