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COASTAL ZONES Terminology Coastal Zone coastal zones are the interface between the land and water they are so important because the majority of the World’s population live in these zones they are continually changing due to the interaction between the oceans and the land Coast vs. Shore shore – a zone that lies between the lowest tide level (low tide) and the highest elevation on land that is affected by storm waves coast – extends inland from the shore as far as ocean-related features can be found Coast vs. Shore cont. the shoreline is the perimeter of the land along the water’s edge, measured to the closest exactness possible the coastline follows the general line of the coast, but sometimes, in the case of small bays and inlets, the coastline is measured across the bay or inlet to rejoin the coastline on the opposite side Coastal Classification all coasts can be divided into one of two types: – primary coasts – are younger coasts that have been formed by nonmarine processes secondary coasts have aged to the point where physical and/or biological marine processes dominate the character of the coast Types of Coastal Zones rocky shore beach barrier island reef and atoll estuary tidal flat Rocky Shore it is an intertidal area that consists of solid rocks it is often a biologically rich environment it can include many different habitat types: – steep rocky cliffs – platforms – rock pools – boulder fields Rocky Shore cont. organisms that live in this area experience daily fluctuations in their environment hence, they must be able to tolerate extreme changes in temperature, salinity, moisture, and wave action – Beach it is a narrow strip of land separating a body of water from inland areas beaches are usually made of sand, tiny grains of rocks and minerals that have been worn down by constant pounding by wind and waves Barrier Island is a coastal landform and a type of barrier system they are exceptionally flat and lumpy areas of sand, that are parallel to the mainland coast they usually occur in chains, consisting of anything from a few to many islands Reef and Atoll a reef is a strip or ridge of rocks, sand, coral, or human-made objects that rises to or near the surface of the ocean an atoll is a ring-shaped coral reef growing upward from a submerged volcanic peek Estuary it is a partially enclosed coastal body of water the salty ocean water that is found inside is significantly diluted by fresh water from land runoff Tidal Flat they are sand or mud areas found in many estuarine areas they typically lack recognizable plant life they are neither terrestrial nor aquatic but fall somewhere in between they are harsh, unpredictable environments