Reference Zone

In regard to beach measuring procedure, the part of the foreshore subject to wave action (between the limit of uprush and the limit of backwash) at mid-tide stage.

Glossary of Terms

Beach Width

The horizontal dimension of the beach measured normal to the shoreline and landward of the high water mark line on coasts.

Downdrift

Flow in the direction of net longshore sediment transport.

Hydrography

The description and study of seas, lakes, rivers and other waters; the science of locating aids and dangers to navigation; the description of physical properties of the waters of a region.

Wind, Offshore

A wind blowing seaward from the land in a coastal area.

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.

Littoral

Of or pertaining to a shore, especially of the sea. Often used as a general term for the coastal zone influenced by wave action, or, more specifically, the shore zone between the high and low water marks.

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Reference Zone