BEACH FACE. The section of the beach normally exposed to the action of the 

 wave uprush. The FORESHORE of a BEACH. (Not synonymous with SHORE- 

 FACE.) (See Figure A-2.) 



BEACH FILL. Material placed on a beach to renourish eroding shores. 



BEACH RIDGE. See RIDGE, BEACH. 



BEACH SCARP. See SCARP, BEACH. 



BEACH WIDTH. The horizontal dimension of the beach measured normal to the 

 shoreline. 



BED FORMS. Any deviation from a flat bed that is readily detectable by eye 

 and higher than the largest sediment size present in the parent bed 

 material; generated on the bed of an alluvial channel by the flow. 



BEDLOAD. See LOAD. 



BENCH. (1) A level or gently sloping erosion plane inclined seaward. (2) A 

 nearly horizontal area at about the level of maximum high water on the sea 

 side of a dike. 



BENCH MARK. A permanently fixed point of known elevation. A primary bench 

 mark is one close to a tide station to which the tide staff and tidal 

 datum originally are referenced. 



BERM, BEACH. See BEACH BERM. 



BERM CREST. The seaward limit of a berm. Also called BERM EDGE. (See Figure 

 A-1.) 



BIGHT. A bend in a coastline forming an open bay. A bay formed by such a 

 bend. (See Figure A-8.) 



BLOWN SANDS. See EOLIAN SANDS. 



BLUFF. A high, steep bank or cliff. 



BOLD COAST. A prominent landmass that rises steeply from the sea. 



BORE. A very rapid rise of the tide in which the advancing water presents an 

 abrupt front of considerable height. In shallow estuaries where the range 

 of tide is large, the high water is propagated inward faster than the low 

 water because of the greater depth at high water. If the high water over- 

 takes the low water, an abrupt front is presented, with the high-water 

 crest finally falling forward as the tide continues to advance. Also 

 EAGER. 



BOTTOM. The ground or bed under any body of water; the bottom of the sea. 

 (See Figure A-1.) 



A-4 



