NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE, No. 99 — 27 SEPTEMBER 2017

Of interest also is the definition of littoral current in the same publication as:

littoral current a CURRENT in the zone of the SURF running parallel to the SEASHORE, caused by waves breaking obliquely to the shore.

b. The Penguin Dictionary of Physical Geography
John B. Whittow
Penguin Books London 1984

littoral Pertaining to a shoreline.

littoral zone (1) That area of a shoreline that is a juxtaposition to a body of water. (2) More specifically, the zone between the high and low-water spring-tide marks. (3) Biologists extend the term’s usage to include the underwater zone down to 200 m depth.

c. Funk & Wagnalls
New Standard Dictionary of the English Language
Isaac K Funk, Editor-in-Chief

lit′to-ral, 1 lit′o-ral; 2 lĭt′o-ral**, a. Of, pertaining to, or living on a shore; specifically situated between high and low water marks.

d. Dictionary of Geography
W G Moore

littoral, the seashore, the strip of land along a sea coast or more strictly the land line between the high and low tide levels pertaining to the seashore.

littoral region, the littoral region of the ocean comprising the shallow was adjacent to the sea coast; this region has the richest vegetation and so supports the most abundant animal life.

e. The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary. (Fifth Edition) defines littoral as:

littoral adjective. Of or pertaining to the shore of the sea, a lake, etc; existing or occurring on or adjacent to the shore.

And as used in an ecological and geographical sense:

littoral ecology & geology. Designating, of, or pertaining to the zone of the shore extending from the high-water mark to the low-water mark, or (occasionally) to the edge of the continental shelf.

f. And Webster’s Third New International Dictionary defines littoral as:

littoral of or relating to or on or near a shore especially of the sea.

g. The Dictionary of Geological Terms, Third Edition, Robert L Bates and Julia A Jackson, Editors, Anchor Books, Doubleday defines littoral as:

littoral (lit′-to-ral) 1. Pertaining to the benthic environment or depth zone between high water and low water... 2. In an obsolete usage, pertaining to the depth zone between the shore and about 200 m.

In the Dictionary of Geological Terms there are also definitions of littoral current, littoral drift and littoral shelf. Each involves the idea of an area very near the shore for example “littoral shelf” is “a nearshore terracelike” area.

[14] Because the word littoral is not in common usage and the definition by general and scientific dictionaries varies somewhat, I have included a number of quotes from a variety of dictionaries. I consider that the flavour of these various definitions are clear. This is especially so where as here littoral is used to further define a word or phrase. In examples given, littoral shore, littoral drift, littoral current, littoral shelf, each tie the other word or words to an area near the shore. For example “littoral current” is a current in the zone of the surf running parallel to the seashore. “Littoral drift” is the area of drift along that same area of surf running parallel to the shore. All, therefore, involve the idea of an area of coastal waters very near the intersection of land and sea. Applying this approach to “coastal waters” suggests that “littoral coastal waters” is the coastal water area close to the shore. While “closeness” to the shore is a relative term, the example of littoral current identified as in the area of surf parallel to the shore illustrates the closeness that is intended. And so the addition of the word littoral to coastal waters brings the idea of coastal waters to that area near to or close to

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