embayment
Water recessing landward
An embayment is a recess in a coastline forming a bay, or more broadly, any bay-shaped indentation or enclosure.
The term appears in geography and geology to describe where water or land curves inward: The embayment provided natural shelter for the harbor.
It can also describe similar formations in other contexts, like the curved edge of a leaf or a recess in rock strata.
Partially enclosed sea
- bightCurved coastal indentation
- coveSheltered coastal indentation
- inletWater extending into land
- indentationInward cut or setback
recess · coastline · shoreline · sediment · deposition · erosion · bathymetry · tidal
Tidal mixing zone
- lagoonSheltered coastal shallows
- fjordGlacially carved coastal inlet
- soundAudible wave phenomenon
- firthNarrow coastal inlet
loch · delta · strait · channel · arm · creek · tidewater · saltwater
Secure harbor spot
- mooringVessel's secured resting place
- harborSafe anchorage for ships
- havenShelter from danger
- portDocking place for ships
marina · shelter · berth · dock · wharf · quay · pier · jetty
Tidal shrub with exposed roots
- estuaryTidal mixing zone
- tidalOf sea rhythms
- wetlandWaterlogged land ecosystem
- mudflatExposed shore sediment
saltmarsh · seagrass · nursery · habitat · biodiversity · shellfish · shorebirds · sediment
Particles settling in liquid
- depositionFormal testimony under oath
- erosionGradual wearing away
- submarineUnderwater naval craft
- basinConcave water receptacle
fault · subsidence · transgression · stratigraphy · sedimentation · bedrock · formation · tectonic
gulf
Partially enclosed sea
indentation · recess · coastline · shoreline · sediment · deposition · erosion · bathymetry · tidal · marine
estuary
Tidal mixing zone
firth · loch · delta · strait · channel · arm · creek · tidewater · saltwater · brackish
anchorage
Secure harbor spot
port · marina · shelter · berth · dock · wharf · quay · pier · jetty · breakwater
mangrove
Tidal shrub with exposed roots
mudflat · saltmarsh · seagrass · nursery · habitat · biodiversity · shellfish · shorebirds · sediment · brackish
sediment
Particles settling in liquid
- depositionFormal testimony under oath
- erosionGradual wearing away
- submarineUnderwater naval craft
basin · fault · subsidence · transgression · stratigraphy · sedimentation · bedrock · formation · tectonic · infill
- baysgulf, cove, inlet, bight, sound
- hollowscavity, crater, hollow, dent, hole
- coastal watersharbor, gulf, estuary, inlet, sound
- inletsinlet, cove, bight, firth, gulf
- estuariesbrackish water, tidal marsh, salt marsh, tidal flats, mud flat
- lakesLake Michigan, Lake Erie, Great Lakes, Lake Superior, Lake Tahoe
embaymentpeninsula
Land almost encircled by water
headland · promontory · cape · foreland · protrusion
embaymentprotrusion
Part extending outward
bulge · salient · outthrust · prominence · convexity