| A | B |
|---|
| Barrier Islands | unspoiled areas of the US, formed during the last ice age, protect mainland from storms,long narrow wave-built island separated from the mainland by a lagoon |
| Berm | the dry, gently sloping region on the backshore of a beach at the foot of the coastal dune |
| coastline | boundary between the coast and the shore, it is the point where the highest storm waves reach |
| shore | the zone that lies between the lowest tide level (low tide) and the highest elevation on land affected by storm waves |
| offshore | area beyond the low-tide breakers to the edge of the continental shelf |
| Marine Mammals Protection Act | an act by US Congress in 1972 that specifies rules to protect marine mammals in US waters |
| longshore current | a current located in the surf zone that runs parallel to the shore a result of waves breaking at an angle to the shore |
| swash and backwash | mechanism that moves sand up the beach face toward the berm but also erodes sand from the berm |
| headlands | a point of land that extends out into a body of water. It is usually high like a cliff. |
| coastal erosional features | headlands, sea caves, sea arches, sea stacks |
| coastal depositional shores | spit, delta, barrier island, tombolo, |
| man-made structures | groins, jetties, seawalls, bulkheads |
| Bay of Fundy | highest tides in the world |
| tidal bore | a wall of water that moves up certain low-lying rivers due to the incoming tide |
| spring tides | occur during the full and new moon phases of the moon; they are large tidal bulges due to the gravitaional forces of the sun and moon |
| neap tides | occur during the quarter moon phases; the moon is at right angles to the Earth and sun; smaller tidal bulges |
| tsunami | seismic sea waves; large destructive waves that spread out from point of origin |
| tsunami origin | fault movement; coastal landslide; meteorite impacts |
| tsunami wave | shallow-water waves, speed is determined only by water depth |
| fetch | the distance over which the wind blows in one direction |
| wave energy | is determined by the wind speed, the duration, and the fetch |
| duration | the length of time during which the wind blows in one direction |
