Littoral zone

The littoral zone refers to that part of a sea, lake or river which is close to the shore. In coastal environments the littoral zone extends from the high water mark, which is rarely under water, to shoreline areas that are permanently submerged. It always includes this intertidal zone and is often used to mean the same as the intertidal zone. However, the meaning of "littoral zone" can extend well beyond the intertidal zone.

In oceanography and marine biology, the idea of the littoral zone is extended roughly to the edge of the continental shelf.

Littoral Zone Media

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  The littoral zone of an ocean is the area close to the shore and extending out to the edge of the continental shelf.

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  The intertidal zone of a beach is also part of the littoral zone.

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  Estuaries are also in the littoral zone.

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  The three primary zones of a lake are the littoral zone, the open-water (also called the photic or limnetic) zone, and the deep-water (also called the aphotic or profundal) zone.

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  Shoreline of a lake with nearly unvegetated littoral zone