tidewrack
Shoreline organic litter
Tidewrack is the line of seaweed, driftwood, shells, and debris left on a beach by the retreating tide—the high-water mark made visible.
The term combines tide with wrack, meaning seaweed or wreckage cast ashore.
Beachcombers search the tidewrack for interesting finds: We walked along the tidewrack looking for sea glass.
Debris from wrecked vessels
- jetsamGoods deliberately discarded at sea
- driftwoodSea-delivered shore lumber
- sea glassWave-worn bottle shards
- shellsProtective outer layers
buoys · rope · netting · crab shells · whelks · starfish · urchins · sand dollars
Saltwater aquatic plants
- kelpLarge brown marine algae
- bladderwrackBrown algae with air sacs
- sargassumPelagic brown algae
- rockweedIntertidal brown algae
eelgrass · algae · dulse · sea lettuce · strandline · detritus · organic matter · decomposition
Greatest recorded extent
- tidelineShore's flood boundary
- strandThin fiber piece
- foreshoreIntertidal coastal zone
- intertidalZone between high and low watermarks
ebb · flow · neap · berm · shingle · storm surge · littoral · coastal
Breakdown into simpler parts
- nutrientsVital dietary substances
- habitatOrganism's natural environment
- shorebirdsCoastal avian foragers
- foragingSeeking wild food sources
microorganisms · coastal ecosystem · invertebrates · food web · biodiversity · decay · seed dispersal
flotsam
Debris from wrecked vessels
- jetsamGoods deliberately discarded at sea
- driftwoodSea-delivered shore lumber
- sea glassWave-worn bottle shards
shells · buoys · rope · netting · crab shells · whelks · starfish · urchins · sand dollars · barnacles
seaweed
Saltwater aquatic plants
- kelpLarge brown marine algae
- bladderwrackBrown algae with air sacs
- sargassumPelagic brown algae
rockweed · eelgrass · algae · dulse · sea lettuce · strandline · detritus · organic matter · decomposition
high water mark
Greatest recorded extent
intertidal · ebb · flow · neap · berm · shingle · storm surge · littoral · coastal · shoreline
decomposition
Breakdown into simpler parts
- nutrientsVital dietary substances
- habitatOrganism's natural environment
- shorebirdsCoastal avian foragers
foraging · microorganisms · coastal ecosystem · invertebrates · food web · biodiversity · decay · seed dispersal