12 



APPENDIX C 



Glossary of Terms 



acid Term applied to water with a pH less than 5.5. 



alkaline Term applied to water with a pH greater than 7.4. 



bar An elongated landform generated by waves and currents, 

 usually running parallel to the shore, composed pre- 

 dominantly of unconsolidated sand, gravel, stones, cobbles, 

 or rubble and with water on two sides. 



beach A sloping landform on the shore of larger water bodies, 

 generated by waves and currents and extending from the 

 water to a distinct break in landform or substrate type 

 (e.g., a foredune, cliff, or bank). 



brackish Marine and Estuarine waters with Mixohaline salin- 

 ity. The term should not be applied to inland waters (see 

 page 25). 



boulder Rock fragments larger than 60.4 cm (24 inches) in 

 diameter. 



broad-leaved deciduous Woody angiosperms (trees or shrubs) 

 with relatively wide, flat leaves that are shed during the 

 cold or dry season; e.g., black ash {Fraxinus nigra). 



broad-leaved evergreen Woody angiosperms (trees or shrubs) 

 with relatively wide, flat leaves that generally remain green 

 and are usually persistent for a year or more; e.g., red man- 

 grove (Rhizophora mangle). 



calcareous Formed of calcium carbonate or magnesium car- 

 bonate by biological deposition or inorganic precipitation 

 in sufficient quantities to effervesce carbon dioxide visibly 

 when treated with cold 0.1 normal hydrochloric acid. Cal- 

 careous sands are usually formed of a mixture of fragments 

 of mollusk shell, echinoderm spines and skeletal material, 

 coral, foraminifera, and algal platelets (e.g., Halimeda). 



channel "An open conduit either naturally or artificially 

 created which periodically or continuously contains moving 

 water, or which forms a connecting link between two bodies 

 of standing water" (Langbein and Iseri 1960:5). 



channel bank The sloping land bordering a channel. The bank 

 has steeper slope than the bottom of the channel and is 

 usually steeper than the land surrounding the channel. 



circumneutral Term applied to water with a pH of 5.5 to 7.4. 



codominant Two or more species providing about equal areal 

 cover which in combination control the environment. 



cobbles Rock fragments 7.6 cm (3 inches) to 25.4 cm (10 in- 

 ches) in diameter. 



deciduous stand A plant community where deciduous trees or 

 shrubs represent more than 50% of the total areal coverage 

 of trees or shrubs. 



dominant The species controlling the environment. 



dormant season That portion of the year when frosts occur 

 (see U. S. Department of Interior, National Atlas 1970:110- 

 111 for generalized regional delineation). 



emergent hydrophytes Erect, rooted, herbaceous angio- 

 sperms that may be temporarily to permanently flooded at 

 the base but do not tolerate prolonged inundation of the 

 entire plant; e.g., bulrushes {Scirpus spp.), saltmarsh 

 cordgrass. 



emergent mosses Mosses occurring in wetlands, but gen- 

 erally not covered by water. 



eutrophic lake Lakes that have a high concentration of plant 

 nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus. 



evergreen stand A plant community where evergreen trees or 

 shrubs represent more than 50 c t of the total areal coverage 

 of trees and shrubs. The canopy is never without foliage; 

 however, individual trees or shrubs may shed their leaves 

 (Mueller-Dombois and Ellenberg 1974). 



extreme high water of spring tides The highest tide occurring 

 during a lunar month, usually near the new or full moon. 

 This is equivalent to extreme higher high water of mixed 

 semidiurnal tides. 



extreme low water of spring tides The lowest tide occurring 

 during a lunar month, usually near the new or full moon. 

 This is equivalent to extreme lower low water of mixed 

 semidiurnal tides. 



flat A level landform composed of unconsolidated sedi- 

 ments—usually mud or sand. Flats may be irregularly 

 shaped or elongate and continuous with the shore, whereas 

 bars are generally elongate, parallel to the shore, and sepa- 

 rated from the shore by water. 



floating plant A non-anchored plant that floats freely in the 

 water or on the surface; e.g., water hyacinth {Eichhornia 

 crassipes) or common duckweed [Lemna minor). 



floating-leaved plant A rooted, herbaceous hydrophyte with 

 some leaves floating on the water surface; e.g., white water 

 lily (Nymphaea odorata), floating-leaved pondweed (Pota- 

 mogeton natans). Plants such as yellow water lily {Nuphar 

 luteum) which sometimes have leaves raised above the 

 surface are considered floating-leaved plants or emergents, 

 depending on their growth habit at a particular site. 



floodplain "a flat expanse of land bordering an old river . . ." 

 (see Reid and Wood 1976:72, 84). 



fresh Term applied to water with salinity less than 0.5 °/oo 

 dissolved salts. 



gravel A mixture composed primarily of rock fragments 

 2 mm (0.08 inch) to 7.6 cm (3 inches) in diameter. Usually 

 contains much sand. 



growing season The frost-free period of the year (see U. S. 

 Department of Interior, National Atlas 1970:110-111 for 

 generalized regional delineation). 



haline Term used to indicate dominance of ocean salt. 



herbaceous With the characteristics of an herb; a plant with 

 no persistent woody stem above ground. 



histosols Organic soils (see Appendix D). 



hydric soil Soil that is wet long enough to periodically 

 produce anaerobic conditions, thereby influencing the 

 growth of plants. 



hydrophyte Any plant growing in water or on a substrate 

 that is at least periodically deficient in oxygen as a result of 

 excessive water content (plants typically found in wet 

 habitats). 



hyperhaline Term to characterize waters with salinity greater 

 than 40 °/oo, due to ocean-derived salts. 



hypersaline Term to characterize waters with salinity greater 

 than 40 °/oo, due to land-derived salts. 



macrophytic algae Algal plants large enough either as indi- 

 viduals or communities to be readily visible without the aid 

 of optical magnification. 



mean high water The average height of the high water over 

 19 years. 



