Updrift

The direction opposite that of the predominant movement of littoral materials.

Glossary of Terms

Coast

A strip of land of indefinite width (may be several kilometers) that extends from the shoreline inland to the first major change in terrain features. The part of a country regarded as near the coast.

Photic Zone

The zone extending downward from the ocean surface within which the light is sufficient to sustain photosynthesis. The depth of this layer varies with water clarity, time of year and cloud clover, but is about 100m in the open ocean.

It may be considered the depth to which all light is filtered out except for about one percent and may be calculated as about two and a half-times the depth of a secchi disk reading.

High Water Line

In strictness, the intersection of the plane of mean high water with the shore. For specific occurrences, the highest elevation on the shore reached during a storm or rising tide, including meteorological effects.

Macro-tidal

Tidal range greater than 4 m.

Dune

A landform characterized by an accumulation of wind-blown sand, often vegetated.

Sediment Transport Paths

The routes along which the net sediment movement occurs.

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Updrift