Glossary
331
Sheet Pile : A pile with a generally slender, fiat cross-section that is driven into
the ground or bottom of a water body and meshed or interlocked with like
members to form a wall or bulkhead.
Shoal : (noun) Rise of the sea bottom from an accumulation of sand or other
sediments. (verb) - (1) to become shallow gradually. (2) To cause to become
shallow. (3) to proceed from a greater to a lesser depth of water.
Shoot : Collective term applied to the STEM and leaves or any growing branch
or twig.
Shore : Narrow strip of land in immediate contact with the sea or a lake,
including the zone between high and low water lines. A shore of
unconsolidated material is usually called a beach. See also BACKSHORE
and FORESHORE.
Shoreline : Intersection of a specified plane of water with the shore or beach
(e.g., the high water shoreline would be the intersection of the plane of mean
high water with the shore or beach). The line delineating the shoreline on
National Ocean Survey nautical charts and surveys approximates the mean
high water line.
Sill : Low offshore barrier structure whose crest is usually submerged, designed
to retain sand on its landward side.
Silt : Generally refers to fine-grained soils having particle diameters between
0.008 and 0.0004 cm (0.003 and 0.00015 inches). Intermediate between
CLAY and SAND.
Slope : Degree of inclination to the horizontal. Usually expressed as a ratio, such
as 1:25 or 1 on 25, indicating 1 unit vertical rise in 25 units of horizontal
distance ; or in degrees from horizontal.
Sloughing : Process where a weakened mass of soil fails and moves downslope.
Sprig : Single plant with its relatively bare roots, as pulled apart from a clump
and used for transplanting.
Spring Tide : A tide that rises highest and falls lowest from mean sea level,
occurring at new or full moon.
Spring Tides : Increased tidal ranges that occur semimonthly when the moon is
new or full and the pull of the sun and moon are nearly in phase. The spring
range is larger than the mean range for semidiurnal or mixed tides.
331
Sheet Pile : A pile with a generally slender, fiat cross-section that is driven into
the ground or bottom of a water body and meshed or interlocked with like
members to form a wall or bulkhead.
Shoal : (noun) Rise of the sea bottom from an accumulation of sand or other
sediments. (verb) - (1) to become shallow gradually. (2) To cause to become
shallow. (3) to proceed from a greater to a lesser depth of water.
Shoot : Collective term applied to the STEM and leaves or any growing branch
or twig.
Shore : Narrow strip of land in immediate contact with the sea or a lake,
including the zone between high and low water lines. A shore of
unconsolidated material is usually called a beach. See also BACKSHORE
and FORESHORE.
Shoreline : Intersection of a specified plane of water with the shore or beach
(e.g., the high water shoreline would be the intersection of the plane of mean
high water with the shore or beach). The line delineating the shoreline on
National Ocean Survey nautical charts and surveys approximates the mean
high water line.
Sill : Low offshore barrier structure whose crest is usually submerged, designed
to retain sand on its landward side.
Silt : Generally refers to fine-grained soils having particle diameters between
0.008 and 0.0004 cm (0.003 and 0.00015 inches). Intermediate between
CLAY and SAND.
Slope : Degree of inclination to the horizontal. Usually expressed as a ratio, such
as 1:25 or 1 on 25, indicating 1 unit vertical rise in 25 units of horizontal
distance ; or in degrees from horizontal.
Sloughing : Process where a weakened mass of soil fails and moves downslope.
Sprig : Single plant with its relatively bare roots, as pulled apart from a clump
and used for transplanting.
Spring Tide : A tide that rises highest and falls lowest from mean sea level,
occurring at new or full moon.
Spring Tides : Increased tidal ranges that occur semimonthly when the moon is
new or full and the pull of the sun and moon are nearly in phase. The spring
range is larger than the mean range for semidiurnal or mixed tides.