Below you will find two glossaries.  The first glossary contains the terminology commonly used when discussing beach restoration, also referred to as "renourishment" or "nourishment."  A glossary of basic financial teminology follows.

BEACH RESTORATION GLOSSARY

Accretion - the deposition of sediment,  usually sand, sometimes indicated by the seaward advance of a shoreline indicator such as the  high water line.   Accrection causes the beach to become wider.  Opposite of erosion.

Active  Beach - the portion of the littoral system that is frequently (daily or at least seasonally) subject to transport by wind, waves, and currents.

Armoring - the placement of fixed engineering structures, typically rock or concrete, on or along the shoreline to reduce coastal erosion. Armoring structures include seawalls, revetments, bulkheads, and rip rap (loose boulders).

Backshore - the generally dry portion of the beach between the berm crest and the vegetation line that is submerged only during very high sea levels and eroded only during moderate to strong wave events.

Backwash - The seaward return flow of swash on the beach face due to gravity.

Beach - an accumulation of loose sediment (usually sand or gravel) along the coast.

Beach  Loss - a volumetric loss of sand from the active beach , usually measured by a loss of dry beach width.

Beach Monitoring - Periodic collection of data, such as dry beach width, to study changes over time.

Beach  Narrowing - a decrease in the useable  (dry)  beach width caused by  episodic storm impact or long-term erosion.

Beach Nourishment - see Beach Restoration

Beach Restoration -  The technique of placing sand fill along the shoreline to widen the beach.   Beach restoration projects span many miles of shoreline to rebuild eroded beaches.

Beach  Profile -  Measurement of the elevation or height of the beach surface taken along a line that runs from the dune to the water across the beach.  Profiles tkane at different dates can be compared to illustrate and quantify storm, seasonal, and long-term changes in beach width, height, volume, and shape.

Berm - a geomorphological feature usually located at mid-beach and characterized by a sharp break in slope, separating the flatter backshore from the seaward-sloping foreshore.

Blowout - Small, often circular or oval depression in sand dunes, caused by wind scouring where protective vegetation has been disturbed.

Building  Setback -  State- or locally-required seaward limit of  beachfront construction for a coastal property , usually a house.

Bulkheads - Rigid structures with vertical walls built parallel to the shoreline to prevent storm surge flooding of upland areas; constructed out of treated wood, corrugated steel, PVC, or other materials.

Coastal  Dunes - dunes within the coastal upland, immediately landward of the active beach.

Coastal  Erosion - the wearing away of coastal lands, usually by wave attack, tidal or littoral currents,  or wind. Coastal erosion is synonymous with shoreline (vegetation line) retreat.

Coastal  Plain - the low-lying, gently-sloping area landward of the beach often containing fossil sands deposited during previously higher sea levels.

Coastal  Upland - the low-lying area landward of the beach often containing unconsolidated sediments. The coastal upland is bounded by the hinterland (the higher-elevation areas dominated by bedrock and steeper slopes).

Deflation - a lowering of the beach profile.

Downdrift - in the direction of net longshore sediment transport.

Dune -  Mound or ridge of sand deposited by the wind, capable of movement when unvegtated.  Dune building can be enhanced by sand fencing or planting of sea oats.

Dune  Restoration - the technique of rebuilding an eroded or degraded dune through one or more various methods (sand fill, drift fencing, revegetation, etc.).

Dune  Walkover - light construction that provides pedestrian access  across a dune without trampling dune vegetation.

Dynamic  Equilibrium - a system in flux, but with influxes equal to outfluxes.

Erosion -  Physical removal of sand from the beach which is transported offshore or alongshore.  Erosion results in shoreline recession -- a landward retreat of a shoreline indicator such as the  high water line,  dune line , or the vegetation line.   Opposite of accretion.

Erosion  Hotspots - areas where  erosion is occurring at a much higher rate than adjacent beach areas, which can threaten  beachfront  development or infrastructure.  Typically the dry beach has narrowed considerably or been lost.   Sometimes the shoreline has been armored . 

Erosion  Watchspots - areas where the coastal environment  (natural or structures) will soon be threatened if shoreline erosion trends continue.

Fetch - Distance of open water over which the wind blows in the development of waves.  

Foreshore - the seaward sloping portion of the beach within the normal range of tides.

Geotextile Tubes - Elongated cloth bags or tubes made out of plastic material that can be stacked or arranged as a form of semin-hard coastal engineering.

Groins - Shore protection structures which extend from the beach backshore into the surf zone, perpendicular to the shoreline.  A groin is intended to build up an eroded beach by trapping littoral drift or to slow or alleviate the erosion of a stretch of beach.  Often mistakenly called "jetties."

Hardening - see Armoring.

High Water Line - The line separating wet from dry sand and formed by the movement of water up the beacah face when a wave breaks on the shore.

Littoral  Budget - the sediment budget of the beach consisting of sources and sinks.

Littoral Drift - Sand and coarser material moved in the breaker and swash zones by waves and longshore currents along the shoreline.

Littoral  System - the geographical system subject to frequent or infrequent beach processes. The littoral system is the area from the landward edge of the coastal upland to the seaward edge of the near-shore zone.

Longshore  Transport - sediment transport  along  the beach (parallel to the shoreline) caused by longshore currents and/or waves  breaking at an angle to the shoreline.

Lost  Beaches - a subset of erosion hotspots. Lost beaches lack a recreational beach, and lateral shoreline access is very difficult if not impossible.

Mean High Water - the average height of the high tides over a 19-year period. For shorter periods of observation,“mean high water” means the average height of the high waters after corrections are applied to eliminate known variations and to reduce the result to the equivalent of a mean 19-year value.

Mean High Water Line -  The intersection of the local elevation of mean high water with the shore. Mean high water line along the shore of land immediately bordering on navigable waters is recognized and declared to be the boundary between the foreshore owned by the State of Florida in its sovereign capacity and the uplands subject to private ownership.

Monitoring - periodic collection of data to study changes in an environment over time.

Oblique Wave Approach - Waves that approach the beach at an angle -- in other words, not straight on -- and generate longshore currents.

Offshore - the portion of the littoral system that is always submerged.

Overwash - transport of sediment landward of the active beach by coastal flooding during a tsunami, hurricane, or other event with extreme waves.

Peat - Dark-brown to black, fibrous materal produced by plants which grow in marshes or bogs.  When exposed on the beach face, it indicates long-term erosion and ladward barrier migration.

Recession - Landward movement of the shoreline due to the loss of beach material and/or direction inundation of the land.

Refraction - The bending of waves by bars and shoals that can cause the concentration of wave energy on a portion of the shoreline, resulting in accelerated beach erosion.

Revetment - a sloping type of shoreline armoring often constructed from large, interlocking boulders. Revetments tend to have a rougher (less reflective) surface than seawalls.

Ridge - A longshore feature that may become exposed at low tide; often formed by a bar moving onshore as a form of post-storm beach recovery.

Riprap - Protective mound of stones placed to prevent erosion of upland areas, roads or structures. 

Sand Bags - See Geotextile Tubes

Sand Bar - Submerged mound of sand that generally runs parallel to the shore and caused waves to break before reaching the beach.

Scarp - a steep  vertical drop-off of the dry beach caused by wave attack during storms.  Scarps can be from inches to several feet high and disappear by the return of sand onshore during accretion. 

Scarping - the erosion of a dune or berm by wave-attack during a storm or a large swell.

Sea bags -  See Geotextile  Tubes

Seawall - a vertical or near-vertical type of shoreline armoring characterized by a smooth surface.

Shoreline - Boundary between the land and the sea, which is often defined as the mean high water line for mapping purposes.

Shoreline  Setback - see Building setback.

Storm  Surge -  Sudden,temporary rise in sea level , primarily due to winds but also associated with a storm's low barometric pressure.  Results in water piling up against the coast, which is the primary cause of coastal flooding during a storm.

Swash - Sheet of water that flows up and down the beach foreshore caused by waves breaking and gravity, respetively.

Swell - Long period waves that tend to widen the dry beach, usually in simmer months or during fair weather.

Wave Height - Vertical difference between a wave's crest and trough; higher waves are more energetic and can cause rapid beach changes.

Wavelength - Distance between successive wave crests.

Wave Period - Time in seconds between successive wave crests.    

Urban runoff - the input of hydrocarbons, heavy metals, pesticides, and other chemicals to the nearshore marine environment from densely populated areas.

FINANCIAL GLOSSARY

Ad Valorem Tax - A tax levied in proportion to the value of the property against which it is levied.

Assessed Value - A valuation set upon real estate or other property by a government as basis forlevying taxes. Taxable value is then calculated based on the assessed value. The assessed value is set by the County Property Appraiser, an independent elected official. See also Taxable Value

Board of County Commissioners (BCC) - The Board of County Commissioners is the five-member legislative and governing body for Gulf County.

Bond - Written promise to pay a specified sum of money, called principal or face value, at a specified future date, called the maturity date, along with periodic interest paid at a specified percentage of the principal (interest rate). Bonds are typically used for long-term debt to pay for specific capital expenditures.

Millage Rate - A rate applied to a property's taxable value to determine property tax due. As used with ad valorem (property) taxes, the rate expresses the dollars of tax per one thousand dollars of taxable value (i.e., a 5 mill tax on $1,000 equals $5.00)

Municipal Services Taxing Unit (MSTU) - A special district authorized by the State Constitution Article VII and Florida Statutes 125.01. The MSTU is the legal and financial mechanism for providing specific services and/or improvements to a defined geographical area. An MSTU may levy ad valorem taxes without a referendum. An MSTU may also use assessments, service charges, or other revenue to provide its sources of income.

Taxable Value - The assessed value of property minus any authorized exemptions (i.e., agricultural, homestead exemption). This value is used to determine the amount of property (ad valorem) tax to be levied.