出典(authority):フリー百科事典『ウィキペディア(Wikipedia)』「2015/09/26 06:13:59」(JST)
この項目では、陸と海が接する部分について説明しています。その他の用法については「海岸 (曖昧さ回避)」をご覧ください。 |
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海岸(かいがん)とは、陸が海に接する部分のこと。海辺(うみべ)、渚・沚(なぎさ)、汀(みぎわ)、水際(みずぎわ・すいさい)などともいう。
海により形成された陸地部分を指すが、陸と海との境界は海岸線(かいがんせん)と呼ばれる。 汀線(ていせん)ともいう。海面は潮汐とともに上下し、潮差の大きい地方では、1日のうちでも周期的に大きく変動する。満潮時の境界線を高潮海岸線または満潮汀線とよび、普通地形図で用いられる。干潮時の海岸線は低潮海岸線あるいは干潮汀線とよんで、通常海図に描かれる。海岸線は、波による侵食、堆積作用、地殻運動による隆起と沈降、海水準変化などによってその位置が変化しやすい[1][2]。
海岸の地形をその成因により分類すると沈水海岸と離水海岸に分けることが出来る。海岸の気候は海洋性気候である。
沈降により、相対的に海面が上昇したものを沈水海岸という。
河川などによって削られた地形に海が入り込むために、海岸付近で急激に深くなったり、岸近くに思わぬ暗礁があったりと海岸線が複雑になることが多い。海岸は硬い岩石からなり、岩石が露出し、山地が海岸に迫る。このような海岸は岩礁海岸や磯浜海岸とよばれ、一般には磯(いそ)とも呼ばれる。地形ではリアス式海岸や多島海、フィヨルド、三角江、断層海岸などがこれに分類される。例として三陸海岸や瀬戸内海、スカンディナビア半島のフィヨルド地帯が挙げられる。
逆に海底が隆起し、相対的に海面が下降したものが離水海岸である。
海岸線は平坦、遠浅で、海岸は地層が凝固していない砂からなる砂浜海岸となることが多い。地形では沿岸州、潟湖(ラグーン)、砂州・砂嘴、砂丘、陸繋島・トンボロ(陸繋砂州)、海岸平野や海岸段丘・海食崖・海食棚(波食台)がこれに分類される。例として千葉県九十九里浜、鹿児島県吹上浜などが挙げられる。
海面の変化に影響されないものを中性海岸という。デルタ海岸や干潟、珊瑚礁などがこれに分類される。他に埋立地などの人工海岸も現在では少なくない。
海岸にはたくさんの生物がすんでいるが、それらの生物は潮の満ち引き具合、海岸の底質(干潟・砂・岩礁)、食物の分布などに応じて細かくすみわけている。岩礁の場合、水準によって岩の上に付着する生物が違うため、帯状分布が観察しやすい。
海岸の生物の生息場所を表す方法のひとつとして、潮の満ち引きによる区分がある。満潮時の海岸線を満潮線、干潮時の海岸線を干潮線とよび、海岸をその2つの線で区切ると以下3つの地帯ができる。
満潮線より上の地帯で、いつも陸上となる部分。飛沫帯(ひまつたい)ともいう。ふつうの植物は塩分に弱いので海岸から距離を置く必要があり、植物が生えきれない砂浜や岩場は乾燥が激しい。よってここには乾燥と潮風に耐えうる生物だけが生息できる。
満潮線と干潮線の間の地帯で、1日のうちに陸上になったり海中になったりする部分を潮間帯という。河川や海水が無機塩類を運搬するうえ潮が引くと日光がよく当たる。生物にとって栄養と太陽光は充分だが、日射や降水によって塩分濃度や温度が急激に変わり、また強い波浪にも対応する必要がある。よってここには環境の変化に強い生物が多い。干潮時に海水が残る部分を潮だまりといい、生物の生活の上では重要である。
干潮線より下の地帯で、いつも海中となる部分。生物にとっては安定した環境だが、干潮線の直下などでは強い波浪に対応する必要がある。
生物にとっての海岸は、その地形や条件によって異なり、それは地理的な分類とはまた異なっている。また、どの生物を中心に考えるかによっても、見方が違う場合がある。
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A coastline or a seashore is the area where land meets the sea or ocean,[1] or a line that forms the boundary between the land and the ocean or a lake.[2] A precise line that can be called a coastline cannot be determined due to the Coastline paradox.
The term "coastal zone" is a region where interaction of the sea and land processes occurs.[3] Both the terms coast and coastal are often used to describe a geographic location or region; for example, New Zealand's West Coast, or the East and West Coasts of the United States.
A pelagic coast refers to a coast which fronts the open ocean, as opposed to a more sheltered coast in a gulf or bay. A shore, on the other hand, can refer to parts of the land which adjoin any large body of water, including oceans (sea shore) and lakes (lake shore). Similarly, the somewhat related term "bank" refers to the land alongside or sloping down to a river (riverbank) or to a body of water smaller than a lake. "Bank" is also used in some parts of the world to refer to an artificial ridge of earth intended to retain the water of a river or pond; in other places this may be called a levee.
While many scientific experts might agree on a common definition of the term "coast", the delineation of the extents of a coast differ according to jurisdiction, with many scientific and government authorities in various countries differing for economic and social policy reasons. According to the UN atlas, 44% of people live within 150 kilometres (93 miles) of the sea.[4]
Tides often determine the range over which sediment is deposited or eroded. Areas with high tidal ranges allow waves to reach farther up the shore, and areas with lower tidal ranges produce deprossosition at a smaller elevation interval. The tidal range is influenced by the size and shape of the coastline. Tides do not typically cause erosion by themselves; however, tidal bores can erode as the waves surge up river estuaries from the ocean.[5]
Waves erode coastline as they break on shore releasing their energy; the larger the wave the more energy it releases and the more sediment it moves. Coastlines with longer shores have more room for the waves to disperse their energy, while coasts with cliffs and short shore faces give little room for the wave energy to be dispersed. In these areas the wave energy breaking against the cliffs is higher, and air and water are compressed into cracks in the rock, forcing the rock apart, breaking it down. Sediment deposited by waves comes from eroded cliff faces and is moved along the coastline by the waves. This forms an abrasion or cliffed coast.
Sediment deposited by rivers is the dominant influence on the amount of sediment located on a coastline.[6] Today riverine deposition at the coast is often blocked by dams and other human regulatory devices, which remove the sediment from the stream by causing it to be deposited inland.
Like the ocean which shapes them, coasts are a dynamic environment with constant change. The Earth's natural processes, particularly sea level rises, waves and various weather phenomena, have resulted in the erosion, accretion and reshaping of coasts as well as flooding and creation of continental shelves and drowned river valleys (rias).
The coast and its adjacent areas on and off shore are an important part of a local ecosystem: the mixture of fresh water and salt water in estuaries provides many nutrients for marine life. Salt marshes and beaches also support a diversity of plants, animals and insects crucial to the food chain.
The high level of biodiversity creates a high level of biological activity, which has attracted human activity for thousands of years.
More and more of the world's people live in coastal regions.[7] Many major cities are on or near good harbors and have port facilities. Some landlocked places have achieved port status by building canals.
The coast is a frontier that nations have typically defended against military invaders, smugglers and illegal migrants. Fixed coastal defenses have long been erected in many nations and coastal countries typically have a navy and some form of coast guard.
Coasts, especially those with beaches and warm water, attract tourists. In many island nations such as those of the Mediterranean, South Pacific and Caribbean, tourism is central to the economy. Coasts offer recreational activities such as swimming, fishing, surfing, boating, and sunbathing. Growth management can be a challenge for coastal local authorities who often struggle to provide the infrastructure required by new residents.
Coasts also face many human-induced environmental impacts. The human influence on climate change is thought to contribute to an accelerated trend in sea level rise which threatens coastal habitats.
Pollution can occur from a number of sources: garbage and industrial debris; the transportation of petroleum in tankers, increasing the probability of large oil spills; small oil spills created by large and small vessels, which flush bilge water into the ocean.
Fishing has declined due to habitat degradation, overfishing, trawling, bycatch and climate change. Since the growth of global fishing enterprises after the 1950s, intensive fishing has spread from a few concentrated areas to encompass nearly all fisheries. The scraping of the ocean floor in bottom dragging is devastating to coral, sponges and other long-lived species that do not recover quickly. This destruction alters the functioning of the ecosystem and can permanently alter species composition and biodiversity. Bycatch, the capture of unintended species in the course of fishing, is typically returned to the ocean only to die from injuries or exposure. Bycatch represents about a quarter of all marine catch. In the case of shrimp capture, the bycatch is five times larger than the shrimp caught.
It is believed that melting Arctic ice will cause sea levels to rise and flood costal areas.
Extraordinary population growth in the 21st century has placed stress on the planet's ecosystems. For example, on Saint Lucia, harvesting mangrove for timber and clearing for fishing reduced the mangrove forests, resulting in a loss of habitat and spawning grounds for marine life that was unique to the area. These forests also helped to stabilize the coastline. Conservation efforts since the 1980s have partially restored the ecosystem.
According to one principle of classification, an emergent coastline is a coastline which has experienced a fall in sea level, because of either a global sea level change, or local uplift. Emergent coastlines are identifiable by the coastal landforms, which are above the high tide mark, such as raised beaches. In contrast, a submergent coastline is one where the sea level has risen, due to a global sea level change, local subsidence, or isostatic rebound. Submergent coastlines are identifiable by their submerged, or "drowned" landforms, such as rias (drowned valleys) and fjords.
According to a second principle of classification, a concordant coastline is a coastline where bands of different rock types run parallel to the shore. These rock types are usually of varying resistance, so the coastline forms distinctive landforms, such as coves. Discordant coastlines feature distinctive landforms because the rocks are eroded by ocean waves. The less resistant rocks erode faster, creating inlets or bays; the more resistant rocks erode more slowly, remaining as headlands or outcroppings.
Other coastal categories:
The following articles describe some coastal landforms
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The following articles describe the various geologic processes that affect a coastal zone:
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Some of the animals live along a typical coast. There are animals like puffins, sea turtles and rockhopper penguins. Sea snails and various kinds of barnacles live on the coast and scavenge on food deposited by the sea. Most coastal animals are used to humans in developed areas, such as dolphins and seagulls who eat food thrown for them by tourists. Since the coastal areas are all part of the littoral zone, there is a profusion of marine life found just off-coast.
There are many kinds of seabirds on the coast. Pelicans and cormorants join up with terns and oystercatchers to forage for fish and shellfish on the coast. There are sea lions on the coast of Wales and other countries.
Coastal areas are famous for their kelp beds. Kelp is a fast-growing seaweed that grows up to a metre a day. Corals and sea anemones are true animals, but live a lifestyle similar to that of plants. Mangroves, seagrasses and salt marsh are important coastal vegetation types in tropical and temperate environments respectively.
Shortly before 1951, Lewis Fry Richardson, in researching the possible effect of border lengths on the probability of war, noticed that the Portuguese reported their measured border with Spain to be 987 km, but the Spanish reported it as 1214 km. This was the beginning of the coastline problem, which is a mathematical uncertainty inherent in the measurement of boundaries that are irregular.[8]
The prevailing method of estimating the length of a border (or coastline) was to lay out n equal straight-line segments of length ℓ with dividers on a map or aerial photograph. Each end of the segment must be on the boundary. Investigating the discrepancies in border estimation, Richardson discovered what is now termed the Richardson Effect: the sum of the segments is inversely proportional to the common length of the segments. In effect, the shorter the ruler, the longer the measured border; the Spanish and Portuguese geographers were simply using different-length rulers.
The result most astounding to Richardson is that, under certain circumstances, as ℓ approaches zero, the length of the coastline approaches infinity. Richardson had believed, based on Euclidean geometry, that a coastline would approach a fixed length, as do similar estimations of regular geometric figures. For example, the perimeter of a regular polygon inscribed in a circle approaches the circumference with increasing numbers of sides (and decrease in the length of one side). In geometric measure theory such a smooth curve as the circle that can be approximated by small straight segments with a definite limit is termed a rectifiable curve.
More than a decade after Richardson completed his work, Benoit Mandelbrot developed a new branch of mathematics, fractal geometry, to describe just such non-rectifiable complexes in nature as the infinite coastline.[9] His own definition of the new figure serving as the basis for his study is:[10]
I coined fractal from the Latin adjective fractus. The corresponding Latin verb frangere means "to break:" to create irregular fragments. It is therefore sensible ... that, in addition to "fragmented" ... fractus should also mean "irregular."
A key property of the fractal is self-similarity; that is, at any scale the same general configuration appears. A coastline is perceived as bays alternating with promontories. In the hypothetical situation that a given coastline has this property of self-similarity, then no matter how greatly any one small section of coastline is magnified, a similar pattern of smaller bays and promontories superimposed on larger bays and promontories appears, right down to the grains of sand. At that scale the coastline appears as a momentarily shifting, potentially infinitely long thread with a stochastic arrangement of bays and promontories formed from the small objects at hand. In such an environment (as opposed to smooth curves) Mandelbrot asserts[9] "coastline length turns out to be an elusive notion that slips between the fingers of those who want to grasp it."
There are different kinds of fractals. A coastline with the stated property is in "a first category of fractals, namely curves whose fractal dimension is greater than 1." That last statement represents an extension by Mandelbrot of Richardson's thought. Mandelbrot's statement of the Richardson Effect is:[11]
where L, coastline length, a function of the measurement unit, ε, is approximated by the expression. F is a constant and D is a parameter that Richardson found depended on the coastline approximated by L. He gave no theoretical explanation but Mandelbrot identified D with a non-integer form of the Hausdorff dimension, later the fractal dimension. Rearranging the right side of the expression obtains:
where Fε-D must be the number of units ε required to obtain L. The fractal dimension is the number of the dimensions of the figure being used to approximate the fractal: 0 for a dot, 1 for a line, 2 for a square. D in the expression is between 1 and 2, for coastlines typically less than 1.5. The broken line measuring the coast does not extend in one direction nor does it represent an area, but is intermediate. It can be interpreted as a thick line or band of width 2ε. More broken coastlines have greater D and therefore L is longer for the same ε. Mandelbrot showed that D is independent of ε.
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リンク元 | 「coastal」「海岸」「beach」「沿岸」 |
拡張検索 | 「Pancoast's syndrome」「Pancoast型肺癌」「Pancoast症候群」 |
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