Littoral zoneThe littoral zone, also called litoral or nearshore, is the part of an ocean, sea, lake, or river, that is close to the shore. It provides extensive and productive habitats around the world, adjacent to land-water interfaces. In coastal ecology, the littoral zone includes the foreshore (intertidal zone) extending from the high water mark (which is rarely inundated) to the low water mark (where coastal areas become permanently submerged).
Marine habitatHabitat that supports marine lifeCoral reefs provide marine habitats for tube sponges, which in turn become marine habitats for fishesA marine habitat is a habitat that supports marine life. Marine life depends in some way on the saltwater that is in the sea (the term marine comes from the Latinmare, meaning sea or ocean). A habitat is an ecological or environmental area inhabited by one or more living species. The marine environment supports many kinds of these habitats.
Sea urchinClass of marine invertebratesSea urchins or urchins () are the classEchinoidea within the echinoderms. Approximately 950 species live on the seabed, inhabiting all oceans and depths from the intertidal zone to the deep sea. They typically have a globular body covered by spiny protective tests (hard shells), typically from 3 to 10 cm (1 to 4 in) across. Sea urchins move slowly, crawling with their tube feet, and sometimes pushing themselves with their spines.
StarfishStarfish or sea stars are a class of echinoderms generally shaped like a star polygon. (In common usage, these names are also often applied to ophiuroids, which are correctly referred to as brittle stars or basket stars.) Starfish are also known as asteroids because they form the taxonomic classAsteroidea (). About 1,900 species of starfish live on the seabed, and are found in all the world's oceans, from warm, tropical zones to frigid, polar regions.
CoastA coast (also called the coastline, shoreline, or seashore) is the land next to the sea or the line that forms the boundary between the land and the ocean or a lake. Coasts are influenced by the topography of the surrounding landscape and by aquatic erosion, such as that caused by waves. The geological composition of rock and soil dictates the type of shore that is created. Earth has about 620,000.0 km (385,250.1 mi) of coastline.
Tidal rangeTidal range is the difference in height between high tide and low tide. Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by gravitational forces exerted by the Moon and Sun, by Earth's rotation and by centrifugal force caused by Earth's progression around the Earth-Moon barycenter. Tidal range depends on time and location.
TideChange in sea level due to gravitySimplified schematic of only the lunar portion of Earth's tides, showing (exaggerated) high tides at the sublunar point and its antipode for the hypothetical case of an ocean of constant depth without land, and on the assumption that Earth is not rotating; otherwise there is a lag angle.
Marine lifeMarine life, which is also known as sea life or ocean life, refers to all the marine organisms that live in salt water habitats, or ecological communities that encompass all aquatic animals, plants, algae, fungi, protists, single-celled microorganisms and associated viruses living in the saline water of marine habitats, either the seawater of marginal seas and oceans, or the brackish water of coastal wetlands, lagoons, estuaries and inland seas.
Water levelWater level, also known as gauge height or stage, is the elevation of the free surface of a sea, stream, lake or reservoir relative to a specified vertical datum. Over long distances, neglecting external forcings (such as wind), water level tends to conform to an equigeopotential surface.
CliffIn geography and geology, a cliff or bluff or rock face is an area of rock which has a general angle defined by the vertical, or nearly vertical. Cliffs are formed by the processes of weathering and erosion, with the effect of gravity. Cliffs are common on coasts, in mountainous areas, escarpments and along rivers. Cliffs are usually composed of rock that is resistant to weathering and erosion.
CoralCorals are colonial marine invertebrates within the subphylum Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact colonies of many identical individual polyps. Coral species include the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and secrete calcium carbonate to form a hard skeleton. A coral "group" is a colony of very many genetically identical polyps.
Underwater environmentAquatic or submarine environmentGreat Barrier Reef, AustraliaAn underwater environment is an environment of, and immersed in, liquid water in a natural or artificial feature (called a body of water), such as an ocean, sea, lake, pond, reservoir, river, canal, or aquifer. Some characteristics of the underwater environment are universal, but many depend on the local situation. Liquid water has been present on Earth for most of the history of the planet.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.