APPENDIX A 



GLOSSARY OF TERMS 



accretion— May be either natural or artificial. Natural accretion is the buildup of land solely 

 by the action of the forces of nature, on a beach by deposition of waterborne or airborne 

 material. Artificial accretion is a similar buildup of land by reason of an act of man, such 

 as the accretion formed by a groin, breakwater, or beach fill deposited by mechanical 

 means. 



amplitude— The magnitude of the displacement of a wave from a mean value. 



anchor pile— A pile or column that is an integral part of a structure, and whose main 

 function is to keep the structure firmly in place, having been driven into the earth for 

 this purpose. 



ancillary facilities— Installations or services provided at a harbor that complement the 

 harbor's operations, but are not essential to harbor functioning, per se (e.g., snackbars, 

 ice-vending machines, and sail repairs). 



armor— An outer layer of large stone or concrete armor units whose function is to ensure the 

 integrity of an embankment, jetty, or breakwater for protection against wave action or 

 currents. 



aseptic— Free from pathogenic or infecting micro-organisms. 



attenuate— To lessen the amplitude of waves or surge. 



auxiliary power— Any means of propeUing a craft that is not the primarily designed means 

 (e.g., an engine-driven propeller on a sailboat). 



B-stone— Quarrystone sized for use in the supporting layer below the armor in a breakwater, 

 jetty, or revetment. 



bar— A submerged or emerged embankment of sand, gravel, or other unconsohdated material 

 built in shallow water by waves and currents. 



battens— Thin wood strips, often those affixed vertically around large pilings for protection. 



batter— The slope or cant off the vertical of a pile or the face of a wall. 



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