Glossary for Coastal Studies App
abundance – number of items or individuals, usually expressed as a percentage.
acidity – amount of acid in a water sample.
alkalinity – amount of basic solution in a water sample.
amphipod – small crustacean (usually marine) with feet of two kinds.
bar – shallow and sometimes exposed area of soft sediment, usually across river mouths or off
beaches.
berm – low dune at the back of the splash zone.
charcoal – black, low density substance left when wood is not completely burnt.
feldspar – a group of clay forming minerals commonly found in rocks.
ferromagnesian – a group of common rock forming minerals that containing a high percentage of
iron and magnesium that give very dark colours of grey and green to black.
foreshore – area of land along the water’s edge.
grain size – longest dimension of average sediment grain in sample.
height of wave – vertical measurement of wave face from trough to crest.
marine farms – areas of coastal waters set aside for cultivation of marine plants or breeding and
nurturing marine animals.
nitrate – soluble nutrient, NO3-.
period of waves – average rate of wave travel measured in seconds between crests.
pH – measure of acidity.
precipitation (of weather) – fall of rain, snow, sleet, hail and less commonly ash, dust etc from the
sky.
profile – side view of the surface of the ground.
quadrat – small area, bounded by four sides, marked out as a representative sample of a much
larger area.
quartz – common rock forming mineral that is very hard and chemically stable, SiO2.
reef – underwater feature of hard substance, usually rock or coral.
rip – fast moving current of water, usually leaving the shore, often caused by landform or
underwater structures.
roundness – amount of smoothing on corners of grains reducing the sharp angles between faces, see
chart.
salinity – amount of salt in a water sample.
sphericity – closeness to a sphere for the average grain in a sample, see chart.
transect – a measured distance between two points, usually for recording observations along it.
turbidity – measure of suspended solids in a water sample.
Corrections 16Jun
Beach Profile, Qn 8. – correct “FFor”
End page on all surveys – “...today’s..” apostrophe is missing
Sediment Analysis, Qn 2. – “Transparent with no colour or occasionally ...”
Sediment Analysis all questions – Add grain size example, “E.g. 60%, 0.5mm, 0.4rd, ...”
Sediment Analysis all questions – “grain size” should not be in capitalized.
Sediment Analysis, Qn 8. – attributes don’t need capitalization.
Weather and Tide, Qn 2. – “GPS co-ordinates...” needs capitalizing.
Amphipod Survey – have the quadrat questions been reinstated?