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Damaged Coral

Corals and Coral Reefs

Sargassum Seaweed

Glossary of Terms

Coastal Defense

General term used to encompass both coast protection against erosion and sea defense against flooding.

Beach

An accumulation of loose sediment (usually sand or gravel) along the coast.

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.

Urban Runoff

The input of hydrocarbons, heavy metals, pesticides, and other chemicals to the nearshore marine environment from densely populated areas.

Longshore Transport

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

BOD

Biochemical (or Biological) Oxygen Demand - high figures suggest pollution or eutrophication.

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