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Damaged Coral

Corals and Coral Reefs

Sargassum Seaweed

Glossary of Terms

Tetrapod

Concrete armor unit with four stubby legs, used on breakwaters and seawalls to dissipate wave energy.

Beach Face

The section of the beach normally exposed to the action of the wave uprush. Also referred to as the foreshore of a beach.

Mean High Water (MHW)

The average height of the high 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 high water heights are included in the average where the type of tide is either semi-diurnal or mixed.

Estuary

The region where a river meets the marine environment. It is characterized by variable salinity and often by high biological productivity.

Perched Beach

A beach or fillet of sand retained above the otherwise normal profile level by a submerged dike.

Dynamic Equilibrium

A system in flux, but with influxes equal to outfluxes.

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