Glossary:S Words

Saint Johns River Water Management District(SJRWMD)

The St. Johns River Water Management District is an environmental regulatory agency of the state of Florida whose work is focused on ensuring a long-term supply of drinking water, and to protect and restore the health of water bodies in the district’s 18 counties in northeast and east-central Florida.

salinity ( sa·lin·i·ty / səˈlinədē ) noun

the concentration of salts dissolved in salt water.

salt marsh noun

Salt marshes are coastal wetlands that are flooded and drained by salt water brought in by the tides.

saltwater intrusion noun

the invasion of freshwater bodies by denser salt water.

sandflat noun

area of bottom of aquatic system that is exposed by low tides and composed of sand - particles of sediment larger than those of mud.

Save Our Indian River Lagoon(SOIRL)

A Brevard County IRL restoration program funded by a half cent sales tax voted in by the citizens.

scientific method noun

the steps necessary for scientific investigation including 1) identify a problem you would like to solve, 2) formulate a hypothesis, 3) test the hypothesis, 4) collect and analyze the data, 5) make conclusions.

sea level rise noun

long-term increases in mean sea level. The expression is popularly applied to anticipated sea level changes due to the greenhouse effect and associated global warming.

sea surface temperature noun

the average temperatures at the uppermost layer of the ocean –only a few millimeters deep. Sea Surface Temperature, often referred to as SST, can be globally monitored through satellite remote sensing.

seagrass ( sea·grass / ˈsēɡras ) noun

submerged rooted aquatic plants that tolerate salinity.

septage ( sep·tage / ˈseptij ) noun

The liquid and solid materials pumped from a septic tank during cleaning operations.

septic tank noun

A buried, watertight tank designed and constructed to receive and partially treat raw wastewater. The tank separates and retains settleable and floatable solids suspended in the wastewater and discharges the settled wastewater for further treatment and dispersal to the environment.

shellfish ( shell·fish / ˈSHelˌfiSH ) noun

aquatic invertebrates with exoskeletons used as food, including various species of mollusks and crustaceans, such as crabs, shrimp, clams, and oysters.

ship ( SHip ) noun

A ship is any vessel or conveyance that floats on or operates on the water and is equal to or larger than 197 feet (60 meters) length overall (LOA). A ship may be used for pleasure, commercial, or residential purposes.

shoal ( shoal / SHōl ) noun

A shoal is a submerged or partially-submerged long and narrow ridge, normally of sand, that form in rivers and oceans.

shore ( SHôr ) noun

The narrow strip of land immediately bordering any body of water, esp. the sea or a large lake; specifically the zone over which the ground is alternately exposed and covered by tides or waves, or the zone between high water and low water.

shoreline ( shore·line / ˈSHôrlīn ) noun

The intersection of the land with the water surface. The shoreline shown on charts represents the line of contact between the land and a selected water elevation. In areas affected by tidal fluctuations, this line of contact is the mean high water line. In confined coastal waters of diminished tidal influence, the mean water level line may be used.

silt noun

tiny specs of dirt, sized between sand and clay particles, that can be suspended in water or fall out of suspension to cover plants and the bottom of lakes or pool sections of rivers and streams.

slack water noun

The state of a tidal current when its speed is near zero, especially the moment when a reversing current changes direction and its speed is zero. The term also is applied to the entire period of low speed near the time of turning of the current when it is too weak to be of any practical importance in navigation. The relation of the time of slack water to the tidal phases varies in different localities. For a perfect standing tidal wave, slack water occurs at the time of high and of low water, while for a perfect progressive tidal wave, slack water occurs midway between high and low water. See slack; ebb begins and slack; flood begins.

small craft noun

Small craft, in a marine context, is any vessel or conveyance that floats on or operates on the water and is under 197 feet (60 meters) length overall (LOA). A small craft may be used for pleasure, commercial, or residential purposes. Small craft is synonymous with boat in marine use. Though the term craft applies to all vessels operating in a fluid medium, the term small craft is only used when applied to boats.

spawn verb

to deposit sperm or eggs into the water (fish reproduction).

species noun

a classification of related organisms that can freely interbreed.

spoil island noun

Spoil islands are manmade islands composed of rock, soil, and/or shell spoil material extracted and deposited while dredging and dumping navigation channels.

spring tide noun

Tides of increased range or tidal currents of increased speed occurring semimonthly as the result of the Moon being new or full. The spring range (Sg) of tide is the average range occurring at the time of spring tides and is most conveniently computed from the harmonic constants. It is larger than the mean range where the type of tide is either semi diurnal or mixed, and is of no practical significance where the type of tide is predominantly diurnal. The average height of the high waters of the spring tides is called spring high water or mean high water springs (MHWS) and the average height of the corresponding low waters is called spring low water or mean low water springs (MLWS).

stakeholder ( stake·hold·er /ˈstākˌhōldər ) noun

an individual, group of people, or organization that has an interest, concern, or will be affected by an action or issue.

stenohaline adjective

unable to tolerate a range of salinities.

storm surge noun

a rise in the height of ocean water associated with high storm winds pushing against the ocean water; flooding caused by high ocean waters in coastal areas.

subtidal noun

area usually flooded near edge of tidal waters.

succession noun

progressive replacement of populations in a habitat.

supratidal noun

occasionally flooded by very high or storm tides.

surface water noun

precipitation that runs off the land surface and is collected in ponds, lakes, streams, rivers, and wetlands.

Surface Water Improvement and Management Act(SWIM)

In 1987 the Florida Legislature created the Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) Act to protect, restore and maintain Florida's highly threatened surface water bodies. Under this act, the state's five water management districts identify a list of priority water bodies within their authority and implement plans to improve them.

System Wide Monitoring Program(SWMP)

The monitoring program of the National Estuarine Research Reserve System which tracks short-term variability and long-term changes in estuarine waters to understand how human activities and natural events can change ecosystems. This program measures physical and chemical water quality indicators, nutrients and the impacts of weather on estuaries. As the program expands, plans include adding a biological monitoring component and tracking changes in land use through remote sensing.