coastal zones
Where land meets ocean
Coastal zones are the transitional areas where land meets sea, encompassing shorelines, tidal flats, estuaries, and nearby waters.
The term appears most often in environmental policy and planning contexts, where these zones receive special protections: Coastal zone management balances development with ecosystem preservation.
The boundaries vary by jurisdiction but typically extend some distance both inland and offshore.
- beachSandy waterside margin
- ocean viewSight of water horizon
- estuaryTidal mixing zone
- coral reefCalcium carbonate marine ecosystem
- coastal erosionLand loss at sea edges
beach erosion · fishing industry · mangrove forest · delta · kelp forest · tidal flat · fjord · sea-level rise · tourism · lagoon · salt marsh · coastal wetland · wetlands · surf · maritime trade · cliffs · climate adaptation · tide pools
- ecologyhabitat, ecosystem, balance, niche, food webs
- Marineoceans, fisheries, marine life, marine mammals, seafood
- marine ecosystemsphytoplankton, oceans, zooplankton, marine life, krill
- habitatsforest, ocean, lake, river, pond
- aquatic zonesmarine habitats, aquatic habitats, continental shelf, deep sea, open ocean
- ecological zonesclimate zones, biomes, temperate zones, tropical zones, arid zones
coastal zonesmountainous terrain
Land with many peaks
mountain regions · highland regions · high plateau · high country