Shore

The narrow strip of land in immediate contact with the sea, including the zone between high and low water lines. A shore of unconsolidated material is usually called a beach.

Also used in a general sense to mean the coastal area (e.g. to live at the shore).
Also sometimes known as the littoral.

Glossary of Terms

Groyne

Narrow, roughly shore-normal structure built to reduce longshore currents, and/or to trap and retain littoral material. Most groins are of rock and extend from the backshore, well onto the foreshore and rarely even further offshore.

Port

A place where vessels may discharge or receive cargo; it may be the entire harbour including its approaches and anchorages, or only the commercial part of a harbour where the quays, wharves, facilities for transfer of cargo, docks, and repair shops are situated. Protection may be provided by natural or artificial features.

Toe

Lowest part of sea and portside breakwater slope, generally forming the transition to the seabed.

Geographical Information System (GIS)

Database of information which is geographically referenced, usually with an associated visualization system.

Reference Station

A place for which tidal constants have previously been determined and which is used as a standard for the comparison observations at a second station.

A station for which independent daily predictions are given in the tide or current tables from which corresponding predictions are obtained for other stations by means of differences or factors.

Contamination

An anthropogenic increase in the concentration of a substance in the marine environment.

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Shore