SCARPING Erosion of a dune or berm, usually by oblique wave attack during a storm.

SEA Short period, steep waves generated during a storm that cause beach erosion.

SEAWALLS Vertical or near vertical shore-parallel structures designed to prevent upland erosion and storm surge flooding. Seawalls are generally massive concrete structures emplaced along
a considerable stretch of shoreline at urban beaches.

SHADOW EFFECT Stretch of sand-starved, eroded beach that is downdrift of a structure such as a jetty or groin and hence in the littoral drift “shadow” of that structure.

SHOAL A large deposit of sand, generally created by currents near inlets, that can be an obstruction to boats and can cause wave refraction.

SHORELINE Boundary between the land and the sea, which is often defined as the mean high water line for mapping purposes.

SOFT STABILIZATION Artificial emplacement of sand via beach nourishment or through building and enhancement of sand dunes with sand fencing or vegetative plantings. Sand scraping of the beach to build up sand dunes is another means of “soft stabilization”.

SORT Separation of particles into various size categories by moving water or wind.

SPOIL Dredged sediment, usually from inlets or lagoons, that can be clean or polluted.

SPRING TIDE Larger than average tidal range that occurs twice monthly during new and full moon times.

STORM SURGE Sudden, temporary rise of sea level primarily due to winds but also caused by atmospheric pressure reduction, resulting in piled-up water against the coast, which is the primary cause of coastal flooding during a storm.

SWASH Sheet of water that flows up and down the beach foreshore caused by waves breaking and gravity, respectively. See UPRUSH and BACKWASH .

SWELL Long period waves that tend to widen the dry beach, usually in summer months or during fairweather.

TIDAL INLET Channel through a barrier beach, which is characterized by swift currents that interrupt the littoral drift of sand.

TIDAL PRISM Amount of water that flows in and out of a semi-enclosed bay or estuary between high and low tide.