GLOSSARY
Accretion - Accumulation of sand or other beach material at a point due to natural action of waves, currents and
wind. A build-up of the beach.
Alongshore - Parallel to and near the shoreline; same as LONGSHORE.
Backhoe - Excavator similar to a power shovel except that the bucket faces the operator and is pulled toward him.
Bar - Fully or partly submerged mound of sand, gravel, or other unconsolidated material built on the bottom in
shallow water by waves and currents.
Beach - Zone of sand or gravel extending from the low water line to a point landward where either the
topography abruptly changes or permanent vegetation first appears.
Beach Fill - Sand or gravel placed on a beach by mechanical methods.
Beach, Perched - See PERCHED BEACH.
Bluff - High, steep bank at the water's edge. In common usage, a bank composed primarily of soil. See CLIFF.
Boulders - Large stones with diameters over 10 inches. Larger than COBBLES.
Breaker - A wave as it spills, plunges or collapses on a shore, natural obstruction, or man-made structure.
Breaker Zone - Area offshore where waves break.
Breaking Depth - Stillwater depth where waves break.
Breakwater - Structure aligned parallel to shore, sometimes shore connected, that provides protection from
waves.
Bulkhead - A structure that retains or prevents sliding of land or protects the land from wave damage.
Clay - Extremely fine-grained soil with individual particles less than 0.00015 inches in diameter.
Cliff - High steep bank at the water's edge. In common usage, a bank composed primarily of rock. See BLUFF.
Cobbles - Rounded stones with diameters ranging from 3 to 10 inches. Cobbles are intermediate between
GRAVEL and BOULDERS.
Crest - Upper edge or limit of a shore protection structure.
Cross Section - View of a structure or beach as if it were sliced by a vertical plane. The cross section should
display structure, ground surface, and underlying material.
Culm - Single stem of grass.
Current - Flow of water in a given direction.
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