Glossary

This IRL Glossary of Terms and Definitions was specifically compiled and written to apply to the Indian River Lagoon National Estuary and it's local demographic. The glossary contains only IRL relevant terms and draws on local Florida East Coast examples to represent the terms.

All Glossary Terms and Definitions

This table displays all vocabulary terms in the glossary. Click a word to see it's full page listing.

Vocabulary Table

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	Term	Abb	Definition
	Term	Abb	Definition
	abiotic factors		non-living characteristics of a habitat or ecosystem that affect organisms' life processes.
	adaptation		a behavior or physical trait that evolved by natural selection and increases an organism’s ability to survive and reproduce in a specific environment.
	aeration		The process of exposing water to air, allowing air and water to mix and water to absorb the gasses in air.
	aerobic		with air, oxygen.
	algae		a simple, nonflowering, and typically aquatic plant of a large group that includes the seaweeds and many single-celled forms.
	anadromous		fish that live their adult lives in the ocean but move into freshwater streams to reproduce or spawn.
	anerobic		without air, no oxygen.
	anthropogenic		arising from human activity.
	Association of National Estuary Programs	ANEP	Association of National Estuary Programs (ANEP) works with the EPA's National Estuary Program (NEP) to restore and protect estuaries of significant importance.
	backshore		That part of the beach that is usually dry, being reached only by the highest tides, and by extension, a narrow strip of relatively flat coast bordering the sea. The area of a shore that lies between the average high tide mark and the vegetation.
	baffle box		An underground stormwater management device that uses barriers (or baffles) to slow the flow of untreated stormwater, allowing particulates to settle in the box before the stormwater is released into the environment.
	bank		Edge of a cut or fill; the margin of the watercourse; an elevation of the seafloor located on a continental shelf or an island shelf and over which the depth of water is relatively shallow but sufficient for safe surface navigation (reefs or shoals, dangerous to surface navigation may arise above the general depths of a bank).
	bar-built estuary		areas where sandbars form parallel to the shore, partly enclosing the water behind them as the sandbars become islands.
	barrier island		A long, narrow, sandy island that is above high tide and parallel to the shore that commonly has dunes, vegetated zones, and swampy terrains extending lagoonward from the beach.
	Basin Management Action Plan	BMAP	A Basin Management Action Plan, or BMAP, is a comprehensive set of site-specific strategies to reduce or eliminate pollutant loadings and restore particular waterbodies to health.
	bathymetry		Science of measuring water depths (usually in the ocean) in order to determine bottom topography. Bathymetry is the study of the "beds" or "floors" of water bodies, including the ocean, rivers, streams, and lakes.
	beach berm		Nearly horizontal portion of the beach or backshore formed by the deposit of materials by wave action. Some beaches have no berms, others have one or several.
	beach		Zone of unconsolidated material that extends landward from the low water line to the place where there is marked changes in material or physiographic form, or to the line of permanent vegetation (usually the effective limit of storm waves). A beach includes foreshore and backshore.
	benthos		bottom-dwelling flora and fauna; from tiniest microbenthos (bacteria) to medium-sized meiobenthos (nematode worms) to the highly visible macrobenthos (clams, polychaete worms).
	berm		Nearly horizontal portion of a beach or backshore having an abrupt fall and formed by wave deposition of material and marking the limit of ordinary high tides.
	biodiversity		the number and variety of living things in an environment.
	biofilter		living material or an organism that captures and biologically degrades pollutants.
	biogeochemical		relating to or denoting the cycle in which chemical elements and simple substances are transferred between living systems and the environment.
	biosphere		the part of the world in which life can exist; living organisms and their environment.
	biota		the animal and plant life of a particular region, habitat, or geological period.
	biotic		of or having to do with life or living organisms; organic.
	boat		A boat is any vessel or conveyance that floats on or operates on the water and is under 197 feet (60 meters) length overall (LOA). A boat may be used for pleasure, commercial, or residential purposes. Boat is synonymous with small craft in marine use.
	brackish		brackish water occurs in areas, usually estuaries and lagoons, where salt water oceans and fresh water rivers mix together.
	causeway		a raised road or track across low or wet ground.
	centralized wastewater treatment system		A managed system consisting of collection sewers and a single treatment plant used to collect and treat wastewater from an entire service area. Traditionally, such a system has been called a publicly owned treatment works
	channel		a dredged passageway within a coastal bay that allows maritime navigation.
	chlorophyll		a green pigment found in algae, plants and other organisms that carry on photosynthesis; enables plants to absorb energy from light.
	Citizen Oversight Committee	COC	The Citizen Oversight Committee (COC) oversees the Save Our Indian River Lagoon (SOIRL) program in Brevard County.
	Clean Water Act	CWA	The Clean Water Act is a 1977 amendment to the Federal Water Pollution Control Act of 1972, which set the basic structure for regulating discharges of pollutants to waters of the United States.
	coast		General region of indefinite width that extends from the sea inland to the first major change in terrain features
	coastal zone		coastal waters and adjacent shorelands including islands, inter-tidal areas, salt marshes, wetlands, and beaches.
	coliform bacteria		A group of bacteria predominantly inhabiting the intestines of humans or other warm-blooded animals, but also occasionally found elsewhere. Used as an indicator of human fecal contamination.
	commercial fishing		fishing for a commercial purpose, i.e. to sell the catch
	Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan	CCMP	The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP) identifies a region's priority environmental issues and the actions needed to solve them.
	condensation		the process in which water vapor changes into liquid water (such as dew, fog, or cloud droplets).
	conservation		careful preservation and protection of ecological processes and biodiversity of the environment.
	contamination		an undesirable element, impure or unclean, something that is not supposed to be there (such as oil or insecticides in water).
	cove		A small, narrow sheltered bay or recess in an estuary, often inside a larger embayment
	craft		Craft are any vessel or conveyance that operate in a fluid medium or a vacuum. Thus, boats are craft; aircraft are craft; and spaceships, spacecraft, and space capsules are craft. When applied to vessels or conveyances that float on the water, a craft is any boat or ship of any size or type and of any use.
	crustacean		anthropods having hard-shelled bodies and jointed ligaments such as crabs, shrimp and lobsters.
	current		large-scale circulation of water caused by thermodynamics and winds.
	dam		a barrier constructed to hold back water and raise its level, forming a reservoir used to generate electricity or as a water supply.
	decompose		to decay or rot; to break down or separate into smaller or simpler components.
	decomposer		an organism that feeds on and breaks down dead plant or animal matter, thus making organic nutrients available to the ecosystem.
	decomposition		the process of decaying or rotting; breaking down or separating a substance into smaller or simpler components.
	delta		a low-lying sediment deposit found at the mouth of a river.
	Department of Interior	DOI	The U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) conserves and manages the Nation’s natural resources and cultural heritage for the benefit and enjoyment of the American people.
	desiccation		loss of water.
	detritus		newly dead or decaying organic matter coated with bacteria.
	diatom		one of most common groups of phytoplankton; single-celled organism that reproduces asexually.
	dike		an embankment for controlling or holding back the waters of the sea or a river: a ditch. a bank of earth formed of material being excavated. a causeway.
	dinoflagellates		common type of phytoplankton, most abundant in fall; responsible for “red tides” as well as bioluminescence.
	diverse		of different kinds, types, or species.
	drain field		Shallow, covered, excavation made in unsaturated soil into which pretreated wastewater is discharged through distribution piping for application onto soil infiltration surfaces through porous media or manufactured (gravelless) components placed in the excavations. The soil accepts, treats, and disperses wastewater as it percolates through the soil, ultimately discharging to groundwater.
	drawbridge		a bridge withspans that can be raised up, let down, or drawn aside so as to permit tall watercraft to pass
	dredged channel		A roughly linear, deep water area formed by a dredging operation for navigation purposes
	dredge		an excavation or digging activity carried out at least partly underwater in shallow water areas to move bottom materials from one place to another; often used to keep waterways deep enough for boat passage.
	ebb		the falling tide when the water moves out to the sea and the water level lowers.
	echolocation		biological sonar used by several kinds of animals where the animal makes sounds and listens to the echoes of those sounds that return from bouncing off objects near them. These echoes can be used to locate and identify prey and objects, and be used in navigating through their environment.
	ecosystem		the biotic community and its abiotic environment.
	ecotourism		travel undertaken to witness sites or regions of unique natural or ecologic quality. Often it is environmentally responsible travel that benefits nature and local communities.
	effluent		Sewage, water, or other liquid, partially or completely treated or in its natural state, flowing out of a septic tank, subsurface wastewater infiltration system, aerobic treatment unit, or other treatment system or system component.
	elasmobranch		approximately 400 species of fish, including sharks and rays that have skeletons made of cartilage.
	Environmental Protection Agency	EPA	An agency of the United States federal government whose mission is to protect human and environmental health. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the EPA is responsible for creating standards and laws promoting the health of individuals and the environment.
	Environmental Protection Agency	EPA	An agency of the United States federal government whose mission is to protect human and environmental health. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the EPA is responsible for creating standards and laws promoting the health of individuals and the environment.
	epibenthos		organisms that live on the bottom, rather than burrowed into, of an aquatic system.
	erode		the wearing away of the land by the action of water, ice or wind.
	erosion		Transportation of weathered (decomposed) rock material or soil by natural forces.
	estuarine habitat		habitats associated with estuaries.
	estuarine		of, relating to, or formed in an estuary
	estuary		Estuaries and their surrounding wetlands are bodies of water usually found where rivers meet the sea. Estuaries are home to unique plant and animal communities that have adapted to brackish water—a mixture of fresh water draining from the land and salty seawater.
	euryhaline		able to live at a variety of salinities.
	eutrophication		process by which large additions of nutrients causes an overgrowth of algae and subsequent depletion of oxygen.
	exoskeleton		a hard outer covering.
	external loading		Pollutants originating from outside a waterbody that contribute to the pollutant load of the waterbody.
	Florida Atlantic University	FAU	Florida Atlantic University (FAU) in Fort Pierce, Florida is home to the Harbor Branch (HB) Oceanographic Institute whose Indian River Lagoon Observatory (IRLO) is monitoring the southern IRL water quality in real-time.
	Florida Department of Environmental Protection	DEP	The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is the state’s lead agency for environmental management and stewardship, protecting our air, water and land.
	Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission	FWC	The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC) and its partners are working to increase and diversify participation in hunting and fishing throughout Florida in an effort known as R3 or recruitment, retention, and reactivation.
	Florida Institute of Technology	FIT	Florida Institute of Technology (FIT) in Melbourne, Florida is home of the Indian River Lagoon Reseach Institute (IRLRI) who researches and monitors the central Indian River Lagoon.
	food chain		a representation of the flow of energy between producers, consumers, and decomposers.
	foreshore		the area between mean low water and mean high water.
	frontal dune		the dune closest to the water's edge.
	fry		newly hatched fish.
	gastropod		one of a class of mollusks that includes the snails and nudibranchs.
	gill		the paired respiratory organ of fishes and some amphibians, by which oxygen is extracted from water flowing over surfaces within or attached to the walls of the pharynx.
	graywater		Wastewater drained from sinks, tubs, showers, dishwashers, clothes washers, and other non-toilet sources.
	groundwater		water contained below ground in soil and rock.
	habitat		the natural environment in which an organism normally lives, including the surroundings and other physical conditions needed to sustain it.
	halophyte		a plant that grows in waters of high salinity.
	harmful algae bloom	HAB	Harmful algal blooms (HABs) are the rapid growth of algae that can cause harm to animals, people, or the local ecology. A HAB can look like foam, scum, or mats on the surface of water and can be different colors. HABs can produce toxins that have caused a variety of illnesses in people and animals. HABs can occur in warm fresh, marine, or brackish waters with abundant nutrients and are becoming more frequent with climate change.
	herbivore		an animal that eats plants.
	high marsh		the area of the marsh flooded infrequently by the high tides associated with new and full moon.
	high water mark		A line or mark left upon tide flats, beach, or along shore objects indicating the elevation of the intrusion of high water. The mark may be a line of oil or scum on along shore objects, or a more or less continuous deposit of fine shell or debris on the fore shore or berm. This mark is physical evidence of the general height reached by wave run up at recent high waters. It should not be confused with the mean high water line or mean higher high water line.
	human impact		impacts arising from human activity; often referring to negative impacts on the environment.
	hypoxic		very low oxygen levels.
	Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program	IRLNEP	The Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program (IRLNEP) is an estuary of national significance under the EPA's National Estuary Program (NEP).
	Indian River Lagoon Observatory Network	IRLON	IRLO research and education activities are enhanced by the deployment of an estuarine observation network of land/ocean biogeochemical observatory (LOBO) units and weather sensors to provide real-time, high-accuracy and high-resolution water quality/weather data through a dedicated interactive website.
	Indian River Lagoon Observatory	IRLO	The Indian River Lagoon Observatory (IRLO), based at FAU Harbor Branch in Fort Pierce, Florida, is investigating the IRL’s plants, animals, and environment, and how natural and human-induced stressors impact them.
	Indian River Lagoon Research Institute	IRLRI	Indian River Lagoon Research Institute (IRLRI) is a part of the Florida Institute of Technology (FIT) Oceanographic Institute in Melbourne, Florida
	infauna		organisms living between the grains of sand or mud.
	inland waters		Waters landward of the baseline from which the marginal seas are measured and over which complete sovereignty is exercised.
	inlet		1. A recess, such as a bay or cove, along a coast. a stream or bay leading inland, as from the ocean; an estuary. a narrow passage of water, as between two islands.
	inshore		In beach terminology, the zone of variable width between the shoreface and the seaward limit of the breaker zone.
	intertidal zone		The coastal environment between mean low tide and mean high tide that alternates between subaerial and subaqueous depending on the tidal cycle. The zone between the mean higher high water and mean lower low water lines.
	invasive species		non-native species of plants or animals that out-compete native species in a specific habitat.
	invertebrate		an animal that does not have a backbone; such as snails, worms, and insects.
	island		An area of land completely surrounded by water.
	isopods		aquatic crustaceans with flat, oval body and seven pairs of legs.
	Kennedy Space Center	KSC	Kennedy Space Center (KSC) is home to NASA's Launch Services Program.
	lagoon		Lagoons are separated from larger bodies of water by sandbars, barrier reefs, coral reefs, or other natural barriers. The word "lagoon" derives from the Italian word laguna, which means "pond" or "lake." A shallow stretch of salt or brackish water, partly or completely separated from a sea or lake by an offshore reef, barrier island, sandbank or spit
	lagoonal deposit		Sand, silt or clay-sized sediments transported and deposited by wind, currents, and storm runoff in the relatively low-energy, brackish to saline, shallow waters of a lagoon.
	Land-Ocean Biogeochemical Observatory	LOBO	An estuarine observation network of land/ocean biogeochemical observatory (LOBO) units that provide real-time, high-accuracy and high-resolution water quality/weather data.
	latitude		The angular distance between a terrestrial position and the equator measured northward or southward from the equator along a meridian of longitude.
	levee		Artificial bank confining a stream channel or limiting adjacent areas subject to flooding; an embankment bordering a submarine canyon or channel, usually occurring along the outer edge of a curve.
	living shorelines		A shoreline management practice that provides erosion control benefits; protects, restores, or enhances natural shoreline habitat; and maintains coastal processes through the strategic placement of plants, stone, sand fill, and other structural organic materials.
	loading		The total quantity of pollutants in stormwater runoff that contributes to the water quality impairment.
	longitude		Longitude is a measurement of distance on the earth’s surface, east or west of the Greenwich, England (0° Longitude) meridian, expressed in angular measurements of degrees or hours from 180° West (or -180°) to 180° East. Degrees of longitude are imaginary lines drawn 60 minutes apart from North Pole to South Pole around the Earth. Each minute of longitude can be further divided into 60 seconds.
	macroalgae		large multicellular algae (green red and brown varieties).
	mangrove		tree species that grow in non-freezing estuaries. There are about 12 species though the black, red, and white are most common. a tree or shrub that grows in chiefly tropical coastal swamps that are flooded at high tide. Mangroves typically have numerous tangled roots above ground and form dense thickets.
	Marine Resources Council	MRC	The Marine Resources Council's mission is "To improve water quality and to protect and restore the fish and wildlife resources of the Indian River Lagoon, coastal waters, inshore reefs, and the watershed by advocating and using sound science, education and the involvement of the public at large."
	maritime forest		forest dominated by pitch pine and located on the mainland side of a barrier beach or island.
	marsh		soft wet land usually characterized by grasses. an area of low-lying land which is flooded in wet seasons or at high tide, and typically remains waterlogged at all times.
	mean low tide		The mean average of all the low tides (high low tides and low low tides) occurring over a certain period of time, usually 18.6 years (one lunar epoch).
	mesohaline		intermediate levels of salinity, about 15ppt. Pertaining to brackish water with a salinity between 3 and 10 parts per thousand.
	migration		the movement of living organisms from one biome to another, commonly with changing seasons.
	mobile epibenthos		bottom-dwelling animals that move on top of sediments: crabs, shrimp, snails, amphipods, isopods.
	mollusks		soft bodied, shelled animals such as clams, oysters, nudibraches and octopi (the latter two have either small remnant shell within their bodies or an embryonic shell).
	monitoring station		an instrument that makes in situ measurements in the environment.
	monitoring		sampling of environment (air, water, soil, vegetation, animals) that is compared with baseline samples to see if any changes have occurred.
	Mosquito Lagoon Aquatic Preserve	MLAP	A 4,700 acre State of Florida aquatic preserve located between Edgewater and New Smyrna Beach in the northernmost portion of Mosquito Lagoon, an "Outstanding Florida Water".
	muck		Muck is the black ooze accumulating on the bottom of the lagoon. Silt, sediment, and other fine particles carried in by tributaries, canals, and storm drains accumulate and break down on the bottom, forming the thick black ooze.
	mudflat		part of benthic (bottom) zone exposed at low tide and comprised of extremely fine sediments.
	mutualism		form of relationship in which both species involved gain from the interaction.
	National Aeronautics and Space Administration	NASA	The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is an independent agency of the United States Federal Government responsible for the civilian space program, as well as aeronautics and aerospace research.
	National Environmental Policy Act	NEPA	The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321-4347) helps federal agencies make decisions based on an understanding of environmental consequences and take actions that protect, restore, and enhance the environment.
	National Estuarine Research Reserve System	NERR	network of 28 protected areas established for long-term research, education and coastal stewardship authorized as part of the Coastal Zone Management (CZM) Act of 1972, which called for the establishment of a network of estuaries that represent different biogeographical regions of the United States.
	National Estuary Program	NEP	An national EPA program to preserve 28 significant United States estuaries.
	National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration	NOAA	NOAA is an agency that enriches life through science. Our reach goes from the surface of the sun to the depths of the ocean floor as we work to keep the public informed of the changing environment around them.
	National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System	NPDES	A national program under Section 402 of the Clean Water Act for regulation of discharges of pollutants from point sources to waters of the United States. Discharges are illegal unless authorized by an NPDES permit.
	National Water Level Observation Network	NWLON	The network of tide and water level stations operated by the National Ocean Service along the marine and Great Lakes coasts and islands of the United States. The NWLON is composed of the primary and secondary control tide stations of the National Ocean Service.
	National Wildlife Refuge	NWR	The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) System administers a network of United States lands and waters for the conservation, management and restoration of the fish, wildlife and plant resources and their habitats.
	navigable waters		Waters that are either tidally influenced or navigable in fact.
	neap tide		Tides of decreased range or tidal currents of decreased speed occurring semimonthly as the result of the Moon being in quadrature. The neap range (Np) of the tide is the average range occurring at the time of neap tides and is most conveniently computed from the harmonic constants. It is smaller 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 neap tide is called neap high water or high water neaps (MHWN) and the average height of the corresponding low waters is called neap low water or low water neaps (MLWN).
	no-take zones		aquatic or coastal areas in which all extractive activities (such as fishing) are prohibited.
	non-point source		Diffuse runoff without a single point of origin that flows over the surface of the ground by stormwater and is then introduced to surface or ground water.
	nursery		term used colloquially to refer to estuaries. Many fish species are dependent on estuaries for part of their lives.
	nutrient		a substance required by organisms in order to grow and survive such as nitrogen and phosphorus.
	oligohaline		low salinity areas
	omnivore		animals that feed at several levels of food web; diet includes a mix of living and/or dead plants and animals.
	onsite sewage treatment and disposal system	OSTDS	Onsite sewage treatment and disposal systems (OSTDS), commonly referred to as septic systems, can contain any one or more of the following components: septic tank; subsurface drainfield; aerobic treatment unit; graywater tank; laundry wastewater tank; grease interceptor; pump tank; waterless, incinerating or organic waste-composing toilet; and sanitary pit privy. An OSTDS must provide for subsurface effluent disposal and must not have any open tanks or open treatment units.
	onsite wastewater treatment system		A system relying on natural processes and/or mechanical components to collect, treat, and disperse or reclaim wastewater from a single dwelling or building.
	organic matter		materials and debris that originated as living plants or animals.
	organism		a living thing, such as animal, plant or micro-organism, that is capable of reproduction, growth and maintenance.
	oxygen content		often referring to the oxygen content of water. The amount of oxygen dissolved in a given volume of water at a particular temperature and pressure.
	panne		small pond or pool in the salt marsh.
	parasitism		similar to predation in that one species benefits from the relationship and the other is harmed; differs from predation in that parasitism generally not fatal to adversely affected organism.
	pathogenic		Causing disease; commonly applied to microorganisms that cause infectious diseases.
	periphyton		a complex mixture of algae, detritus, bacteria, and microbes that are attached to submerged objects in most aquatic ecosystems.
	personal watercraft		Personal watercraft (PWC) are small vessels or conveyances that float on the water and are powered by engines, commonly propelled by jet drives to achieve fairly high speeds, usually in excess of 20 knots. PWC have no interior and are ridden by sitting on top of and astride them as one rides a motorcycle. Personal water craft (PWC) are generally not considered boats. PWC are usually under 15 feet (4.6 meters) LOA. Though personal watercraft are not considered boats, they must obey the same rules of the road as any boat of the same size, according to applicable Federal and local law.
	petroleum derivatives		toxic pollutants from crude oil products; mixture of hydrocarbons, which are organic solvents.
	photosynthesis		process of using energy in sunlight to convert water and carbon dioxide into carbohydrates and oxygen.
	phytoplankton		floating plants or plant-like photosynthetic single cellular organisms
	plankton		free-floating organisms drifting in water, unable to swim against currents.
	pleasure craft		Pleasure Craft, in a marine context, are all boats used for recreational not commercial purposes. Though craft applies to all sizes of vessels, by convention pleasure craft are boats, and most commonly are small to moderate sized boats, under approximately 80 feet (24.3 meters) LOA.
	point source		An identifiable and confined discharge point for one or more water pollutants, such as a pipe, canal, channel, vessel, or ditch.
	pollutant		Generally any substance, such as a chemical or waste product, introduced into the environment that adversely affects the usefulness of a resource.
	pollution		contamination of natural environment.
	polyhaline		high salinity about 30-335 ppt.
	predation		the killing and/or consumption of living organisms by other living organisms.
	producer		autotroph; organism that creates energy-rich compounds from sunlight (through photosynthesis) or certain chemicals (through chemosynthesis); first level in any food web; in estuarine systems, most abundant producers are phytoplankton.
	productive ecosystem		a biological system that efficiently converts energy into growth and production.
	protist		often unicellular but they can be multi-cellular or colonial the organisms in this Kingdom have characteristics of plants, animals and fungi and contains most algae.
	reasonable assurance plan	RAP	Reasonable Assurance Plans (RAP) provide an implementation schedule and resource commitments that there are, or will be, pollutant loading reductions that will result in the waterbody achieving water quality targets to attain and maintain the designated use.
	recreational fishing		any fishing for which the primary motive is leisure rather than profit; fishing for pleasure.
	reef		A ridge-like or mound-like structure, layered or massive, built by sedentary calcareous organisms, especially corals, and consisting mostly of their remains; it is wave-resistant and stands above the surrounding contemporaneously deposited sediment. Reefs may also include a mass or ridge of rocks, especially coral and sometimes sand, gravel, or shells, rising above the surrounding estuary or sea bottom to or nearly to the surface. a line of rocks or sand just above or just below the surface of the sea
	residuals		The solids generated or retained during the treatment of wastewater. They include trash, rags, grit, sediment, sludge, biosolids, septage, scum, and grease, as well as those portions of treatment systems that have served their useful life and require disposal, such as the sand or peat from a filter. Because of the different characteristics of residuals, management requirements can differ as stipulated by the appropriate federal regulations.
	respiration		process that, using oxygen, releases stored chemical energy to power an organism’s life processes; opposite reaction of photosynthesis.
	response		ecological responses are behavioral and physical changes that happen during the lifetime of a single organism and increase individual’s chance of survival as opposed to evolutionary adaptation, which takes place over multiple generations and is a result of a change in the species genetic makeup.
	restoration		make physical changes in a destroyed or impaired habitat that returns a site to the type of habitat it was prior to human made impacts.
	retention pond		A stormwater management structure whose primary purpose is to permanently store a given volume of stormwater runoff, releasing it by infiltration and /or evaporation.
	riparian rights		The rights of an owner of land bordering a river or the sea and relates to the water (its use), ownership of the shore, right of ingress and egress, accretions, etc.
	runoff		precipitation that drains into a water body from the surface of the surrounding land
	salinity		the concentration of salts dissolved in salt water.
	salt marsh		Salt marshes are coastal wetlands that are flooded and drained by salt water brought in by the tides.
	saltwater intrusion		the invasion of freshwater bodies by denser salt water.
	sandflat		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		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		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		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		submerged rooted aquatic plants that tolerate salinity.
	septage		The liquid and solid materials pumped from a septic tank during cleaning operations.
	septic tank		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		aquatic invertebrates with exoskeletons used as food, including various species of mollusks and crustaceans, such as crabs, shrimp, clams, and oysters.
	ship		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		A shoal is a submerged or partially-submerged long and narrow ridge, normally of sand, that form in rivers and oceans.
	shore		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		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		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		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		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		to deposit sperm or eggs into the water (fish reproduction).
	species		a classification of related organisms that can freely interbreed.
	spoil island		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		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).
	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.
	stakeholder		an individual, group of people, or organization that has an interest, concern, or will be affected by an action or issue.
	stenohaline		unable to tolerate a range of salinities.
	storm surge		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		area usually flooded near edge of tidal waters.
	succession		progressive replacement of populations in a habitat.
	supratidal		occasionally flooded by very high or storm tides.
	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.
	surface water		precipitation that runs off the land surface and is collected in ponds, lakes, streams, rivers, and wetlands.
	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.
	territorial sea		The offshore belt in which a coastal state has exclusive jurisdiction. The territorial sea may not extend more than 12 nautical miles from the coast line.
	tidal flat		An extensive, nearly horizontal, barren or sparsely vegetated tract of land that is alternately covered and uncovered by the tide, and consists of unconsolidated sediment (mostly clays, silts and/or sand, and organic materials). Tidal flat, level muddy surface bordering an estuary, alternately submerged and exposed to the air by changing tidal levels.
	tidal height		difference between water level at high tide and mean sea level, the average height of the ocean.
	tidal inlet		Any inlet through which water alternately floods landward with the rising tide and ebbs seaward with the falling tide.
	tidal marsh		An extensive, nearly level marsh bordering a coast (as in a shallow lagoon, sheltered bay, or estuary) and regularly inundated by high tides; formed mostly of unconsolidated sediments (e.g. clays, silts, and/or sands and organic materials), and the resistant root mat of salt tolerant plants, a marshy tidal flat.
	tidal range		difference between high and low tide.
	tide mark		High-water mark left by tidal water; the highest point reached by high tide; a mark placed to indicate the highest point reached by a high tide, or occasionally, any specified stage of tide
	tide		periodic rise and fall of ocean waters due to gravitational pull of sun and moon, and rotation of earth.
	tidewater		Water activated by the tide generating forces and/or water affected by the resulting tide, especially in coastal and estuarine areas. Also, a general term often applied to the land and water of estuarine areas formed by postglacial drowning of coastal plain rivers.
	total maximum daily load	TMDL	A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) describes a plan for restoring impaired waters that identifies the maximum amount of a pollutant that a body of water can receive while still meeting water quality standards.
	treatment system		Any technology or combination of technologies (treatment trains or unit processes) that discharges treated wastewater to surface waters, ground water, or the atmosphere.
	tributary		a stream that flows into a larger stream or other body of water.
	trophic level		level in a food chain, e.g., producer, primary consumer, secondary consumer, tertiary consumer.
	turbid		water that is so full of small particles, such as silt, that the water is no longer transparent but instead appears cloudy.
	United States Fish and Wildlife Service	FWS	A bureau within the United States Department of the Interior (DOI), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is a federal conservation agency whose primary responsibility is the management of fish and wildlife for the American public.
	upland		Land above the mean high water line (shoreline) and subject to private ownership, as distinguished from tidelands, the ownership of which is prima facie in the state but also subject to divestment under state statutes.
	vertebrate		animal having a backbone.
	vertical stratification		laying of fresh water on top of salt water, also known as “salt wedge” effect; occurs when the fresh and salt water is not vigorously mixed together by turbulence.
	vessel		Every watercraft or other contrivance capable of being used as a means of transportation on water.
	washover fan		A fan-like landform of sand washed over a barrier island or spit during a storm and deposited on the inland-side.
	wastewater treatment facility		a place that treats waste water from homes and businesses, such as toilet or sewage water.
	wastewater		The combination of liquid and pollutants from residences, commercial buildings, industrial plants, and institutions, together with any ground water, surface runoff, or leachate that may be present.
	water column		the area of water from the seafloor up to the water surface. The water column contains free swimming, or pelagic, organisms and plankton (tiny drifting and floating organisms). The water column is a part of all bays, sloughs, lagoons and coastal areas; and is therefore part of an estuary.
	water cycle		the recycling of water between the earth and the atmosphere.
	water quality criteria		A set of enforceable requirements under the Clean Water Act that establish measurable limits for specific pollutants based on the designated use(s) of the receiving water body. Water quality criteria can be expressed as numeric limits (e.g., pollutant concentrations or mass loads) or narrative descriptions of desired conditions (e.g., no visible scum, sludge, sheens, or odors).
	water		a molecule-composed compound of hydrogen and oxygen.
	watershed management approach		The process of addressing water quality concerns within their natural boundaries, rather than political or regulatory boundaries. The process draws together all the participants and stakeholders in each basin to decide what problems affect the water quality in the basin, which are most important, and how they will be addressed.
	watershed		Topographic area that contributes or may contribute runoff to specific surface waters or an area of recharge.
	wetland		areas inundated or saturated by surface or ground water at a frequency and duration sufficient to support , and that under normal circumstances do support, a prevalence of vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soil conditions.”
	wrack line		a string of debris stranded by last high tide; cast ashore seaweeds, isolated sources of food and shade support an important community of isopods and amphipods as well as providing food for birds.
	xeric		Very dry environmental conditions.
	yacht		A yacht is any moderately large vessel or conveyance that floats on the water which is used for pleasure, not for commercial purposes.
	zonation		distribution of plants or animals arranged in zones or bands, caused by gradations of abiotic and/or biotic factors.
	zooplankton		animal or animal-like protists, small or microscopic, that drift with the currents, may be either herbivores or carnivores.

IRL Glossary Word Page

Select a letter below to view a page displaying a list of all vocabulary words begining with that letter.

The IRL Glossary was compiled from the following reference sources:

• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Shoreline Glossary
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Estuary Glossary
• Texas Aquatic Science Glossary
• URI Department of Natural Resources Science Glossary of Terms for Estuaries & Lagoons