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Backshore – the part of the shoreline that is usually dry, above the average water level, and bounded inland by the limit of storm run-up.
Bathymetry – the science of measuring water depth to understand the topography of the lake floor.
Benthic – on the bottom of a body of water.
Benthos – organisms that live on the bottom of a body of water.
Breakwater – a barrier built out into the lake to protect the shoreline from the force of waves.
Centre of biological organization – a habitat or area with biophysical features that are essential for self-organization and provide for high levels of reproduction and predation.
Conservation design – planning and designing for a variety of wildlife habitats and incorporating principles of natural succession to restore or create functional habitat.
Delta – an area of sediment deposited at the mouth of a river, typically where it diverges into several outlets.
Ecological connectivity – the physical and biological relationships among nearshore, watershed and lakewide ecosystems. Examples include shoreline processes, wetland functions, migration and over-wintering patterns, and spawning and feeding requirements.
Ecological Integrity – the ability of an ecosystem to maintain its organization and functions. Some of the factors that contribute to integrity are resilience to change, productivity, vigour and species diversity.
Ecosystem – a dynamic complex of plants, animals and micro-organisms and their physical environment interacting as a functional unit.
Ecosystem approach – a wholistic approach to planning and managing natural resources that recognizes the interdependence of land, water, air and living things, including people.
Embayment – a natural or constructed area of sheltered water.
Emergents – aquatic plants that have roots below the surface of the water and leaves above it.
Estuary – the lower reach of a river or stream that is influenced by lake levels.
Eutrophic – high in nutrients.
Eutrophication – a process whereby high levels of nutrients in a water body results in excessive growth of organic matter, especially algae. This reduces the dissolved oxygen content of the water and can cause the loss of other organisms. Eutrophication can be a natural process or it can be accelerated by an increase of nutrient loading to a water body by human activity.
Fetch – line of continuous open water from point to point.
Groyne – a low wall or barrier built out into the lake to reduce erosion and littoral drift.
Hypolimnetic upwelling – the upwelling of cold water from a deep layer in a thermally stratified water body.
Lacustrine – pertaining to a lake.
Littoral – pertaining to or along the shore.
Littoral cells – sections of the shoreline defined so that no input or outflow of sediment takes place across their boundaries.
Littoral transport – the movement of materials in the water along the shoreline.
Macrophytes – Multi-celled aquatic plants, usually with well-defined roots, stem and leaves.
Native species – species that are indigenous to Toronto ecosystems (eg lake trout).
Naturalized species – species that are not native to Toronto ecosystems but have become an integral part of the ecosystem (eg Pacific salmon).
Nearshore – zone that extends lake-ward from the average water level, where wave action and currents directly influence the shoreline.
No net loss – a working principle by which the Department of Fisheries and Oceans strives to balance unavoidable habitat losses with habitat replacement on a project-by-project basis so that further reductions to Canada's fisheries resources due to habitat loss or damage may be prevented.
Oligotrophic – low in nutrients.
Onshore – the part of the shore that is land-ward of the limit of storm run-up.
Pelagic fish – open coast fish adapted to cold water temperatures, wave exposure and/or a free roaming (eg salmon and trout).
Phytoplankton – plant plankton.
Plankton – very small, drifting organisms that occur in water bodies.
Primary production – Production by organisms that use light energy to construct their organic constituents from inorganic compounds, such as phytoplankton, periphyton and aquatic macrophytes. When these are eaten by other organisms, radiant and chemical energy is passed on to higher system levels.
Riparian – bordering a lake or watercourse.
Thermal bar – a column of relatively cold, dense, off-shore water that holds a band of warm water in the nearshore zone in early spring.
Turbidity – the degree of cloudiness of water due to suspended silt or organic matter.
Salmonid – fish of the salmon and trout group.
Self-sustaining communities – communities of plants and animals that are able to reproduce naturally, with minimal human intervention, to maintain healthy populations of plants and animals, including species at risk.
Spit – a peninsula or extension of land from the shoreline that is almost surrounded by water.
Stonehooking was the removal of aggregate materials from the lake bottom for use in construction. Most stonehooking along the Toronto waterfront occurred from approximately 1850-1910.
Storm run-up – the water that reaches inland during a storm, higher than the average water level, as a result of wind and wave action.
Submergents – aquatic plants that grow below the water surface.
Warmwater fishery – a fish community adapted to sheltered habitats and cool or warm water, including pike, bass, walleye, bullhead, carp, sucker and minnows.
Zooplankton – animal plankton.
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