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Glossary of Shoreline Management terms Armor Rock: Large, heavy rocks (2,000 lbs) used to build sills, breakwaters, or revetments. Beach nourishment: the placement of large quantities of good quality sediment along the water’s edge to advance the shoreline seaward. Breakwater: A structure, usually built of rock or concrete, positioned a short distance from the shore, to deflect the force of incoming waves, and protect the shoreline. Bulkhead: An upright structure that acts as a retaining wall along a waterfront or shore. Downdrift: the direction material is carried as waves strike a shore and move along a shoreline. Fetch: The distance along open water over which wind blows; there is generally one fetch that is longest for any given shoreline exposure. Groin: A rigid structure built perpendicular to a shore to trap material from moving down a shoreline. Groin field: Usually two or more groins in a series running parallel to each other along a shoreline. Littoral or Longshore transport: The movement, by wave action, of sand and other materials along the shoreline during non-storm periods. Marsh: An area of soft, wet, or periodically inundated land, generally treeless and characterized by grasses. Marsh fringe: A growth of marsh plants which runs closely to a shoreline. Marsh toe revetment: A low revetment built to protect a marsh along a shoreline that otherwise would be eroded. Mean High Water (MHW): The average of all the high water heights observed over the National Tidal Datum Epoch. Mean Low Water (MLW): The average of all the high water heights observed over the National Tidal Datum Epoch. Nearshore: A general term referring to the area close to the shore but still partly submerged. This area is where sand bars and shoals often form. Phragmites: Phragmites (also known as the common reed) is a non-native, invasive wetland plant that can grow to 12 feet tall, found in brackish wetlands. Phragmites is not a valuable food source for waterfowl. Rain Garden (bioretention): A native plant garden to catch and filter rainwater. Reach: A segment of a shoreline where influences and impacts, such as wind direction, wave energy, littoral transport, etc., mutually interact. Revetment: A graded slope of large, heavy stone, used to anchor a steep bank or shoreline, or one which receives a high level of forceful waves. Sea level: The level of the surface of the water; especially at the position midway between mean high and low water. Seawall: A vertical wall or embankment, usually taller and larger than a bulkhead, used to protect the shore from eroding. Shoal: A shallow area in a waterway, often created by nearby sandbars. Sill: An erosion protection measure built of stone that is relatively low, and erected close to shore. Spartina: A salt marsh grass of several varieties native to the Chesapeake Bay region. It is highly regarded for erosion control, and valuable to fish and wildlife in its native range. Storm surge: The temporary rise in sea level due to large waves and low atmospheric pressure created during storms. Tombolo: The accumulation of beach material directly behind a breakwater, connecting it to the shoreline. Uplands: Land that is relatively elevated compared to sea level. Wave energy: the force a wave is likely to have on a shoreline, depending on environmental factors such as shore orientation, wind, channel width, and bathymetry.
Hardaway and Byrne (1999) as printed in The South River Management Plan published in April 2007 by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science http://www.vims.edu/physical/research/shoreline/docs/SouthRiver-ManagementPlan/South%20River%20Synopsis.pdf and http://www.vims.edu/physical/research/shoreline/docs/SouthRiver-ManagementPlan/AppendixC.pdf And NOAA Costal Services Center, http://www.csc.noaa.gov And Chesapeake Bay Program Bay Field Guide, http://www.chesapeakebay.net And MD Department of Natural Resources, http://www.dnr.state.md.us/
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