Driftwood is wood that has been washed onto a shore or beach of a sea, lake, or river by the action of winds, tides or waves. It is part of beach wrack .
22-446: In some waterfront areas, driftwood is a major nuisance. However, the driftwood provides shelter and food for birds, fish and other aquatic species as it floats in the ocean. Gribbles , shipworms and bacteria decompose the wood and gradually turn it into nutrients that are reintroduced to the food web . Sometimes, the partially decomposed wood washes ashore, where it also shelters birds, plants, and other species. Driftwood can become
44-417: A dock may be created by building enclosing harbour walls into an existing natural water space, or by excavation within what would otherwise be dry land. There are specific types of dock structures where the water level is controlled: Where the water level is not controlled berths may be: A dockyard (or shipyard) consists of one or more docks, usually with other structures. In American English , dock
66-460: Is also commonly used to refer to wooden or metal structures that extend into the ocean from beaches and are used, for the most part, to accommodate fishing in the ocean without using a boat. In American English , the term for the water area between piers is slip . In the cottage country of Canada and the United States , a dock is a wooden platform built over water, with one end secured to
88-432: Is reached by walking 0.42 miles (0.68 km) south from the parking lot along Mockingbird and Osprey roads. Both trails follow steep ravines eroded through Pleistocene marine and marine terrace deposits supporting northern coastal scrub including thick growth of poison oak . The beach is suitable for recreational fishing and swimming at your own risk. It may be possible to hike 0.4 miles (0.64 km) along
110-524: Is resistant to decay, so these logs retain structural strength for decades. Storm flows within Shorttail Gulch are insufficient to move the logs back to sea. This unique habitat at the mouths of small estuaries of the California coast is threatened by the diminished quantity of large redwood logs available in flood waters since the logging of native forests. With the advent of industrial logging practices,
132-569: Is still used as kindling by some. Woods with resinous qualities, such as cedar, are preferred for their lengthier burning times. The " Old Man of the Lake " in Crater Lake , Oregon is a full-size tree that has been bobbing vertically in the lake for more than a century. Due to the cold water of the lake, the tree has been well preserved. Alice Gray, the legendary " Diana of the Dunes ", who fought to preserve
154-460: Is technically synonymous with pier or wharf —any human-made structure in the water intended for people to be on. However, in modern use, pier is generally used to refer to structures originally intended for industrial use, such as seafood processing or shipping , and more recently for cruise ships , and dock is used for almost everything else, often with a qualifier, such as ferry dock , swimming dock, ore dock and others. However, pier
176-434: Is via Harbor Way just south of downtown Bodega Bay, California . A fee or Sonoma County Regional Parks pass is required for use of the trail head parking lot and rest room. The 0.55 miles (0.89 km) Pinnacle Gulch coastal access trail begins across Mockingbird Road from the parking lot at 20600 Mockingbird in the residential subdivision of Bodega Harbor. The 0.52 miles (0.84 km) Shorttail Gulch coastal access trail
198-462: The Gulf of Khambhat has the highest tidal amplitude and ships can be sluiced through flow tides in the river estuary . The engineers built a trapezoidal structure, with north–south arms of average 21.8 metres (71.5 ft), and east–west arms of 37 metres (121 ft). In British English , a dock is an enclosed area of water used for loading, unloading, building or repairing ships . Such
220-506: The Red Sea coast. Archaeologists also discovered anchors and storage jars near the site. A dock from Lothal in India dates from 2400 BC and was located away from the main current to avoid deposition of silt . Modern oceanographers have observed that the ancient Harappans must have possessed great knowledge relating to tides in order to build such a dock on the ever-shifting course of
242-459: The Sabarmati , as well as exemplary hydrography and maritime engineering . This is the earliest known dock found in the world equipped to berth and service ships. It is speculated that Lothal engineers studied tidal movements and their effects on brick-built structures, since the walls are of kiln -burnt bricks. This knowledge also enabled them to select Lothal's location in the first place, as
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#1732852625694264-508: The Indiana Dunes which contain quantities of driftwood named her college "Driftwood", and made all her furniture from driftwood. The EPA includes driftwood in its list of "Items You Should Never Burn in Your [Wood-Burning] Appliance," because it will "release toxic chemicals when burned". The government of British Columbia also advises against burning driftwood, as dioxins may be released from
286-509: The decline of Siberian driftwood in the Atlantic as the sea ice enabled driftwood to travel greater distances without becoming waterlogged. Dock (maritime) The word dock (from Dutch dok ) in American English refers to one or a group of human-made structures that are involved in the handling of boats or ships (usually on or near a shore ). In British English ,
308-412: The first humans, Ask and Embla , were formed out of two pieces of driftwood, an ash and an elm , by the god Odin and his brothers, Vili and Vé . The Vikings would cast wood into the sea before making landfall. The location of the wood would be an indication as to where to build their mead halls . The wood used would found the high-seat pillars of the new hall. Driftwood carried by Arctic rivers
330-450: The foundation for sand dunes . Most driftwood is the remains of trees , in whole or part, that have been washed into the ocean , due to flooding , high winds, or other natural occurrences, or as the result of logging . There is also a subset of driftwood known as drift lumber. Drift lumber includes the remains of man-made wooden objects, such as buildings and their contents washed into the sea during storms, wooden objects discarded into
352-504: The global quantity of driftwood has declined. Early accounts indicate that driftwood was once more plentiful. Early photographs of the pacific coast reveal greater amounts of driftwood on the beaches than is present today. Likewise, when traveling in Dixon Entrance in the late 1800s, George A. Dorsey recorded that many beaches were "piled high with drift, often to a height of sixty feet or more." Melting polar ice may also contribute to
374-451: The reaction of chloride ions with other materials in the smoke. Driftwood sculptures are sculptures that are made of driftwood found on beaches or along riverbanks. Driftwood is commonly used to make a temporary shelter on beaches. Large diameter Sequoia sempervirens logs spent enough time exposed to wave action to round their contours before being driven into the mouth of a narrow ravine by storm surf. Sequoia's high tannin content
396-598: The shore. The platform is used for the boarding and offloading of small boats. Shorttail Gulch Pinnacle Gulch and Shorttail Gulch are coastal access trails served by the same Sonoma County Regional Parks Department parking lot. The trails provide beach and tidepool access to the Pacific Coast of northern California in the United States . The trails are located south of Bodega Bay in Sonoma County . Automobile access from California State Route 1
418-662: The term is not used the same way as in American English; it is used to mean the area of water that is next to or around a wharf or quay. The exact meaning varies among different variants of the English language . "Dock" may also refer to a dockyard (also known as a shipyard ) where the loading, unloading, building, or repairing of ships occurs. The earliest known docks were those discovered in Wadi al-Jarf , an ancient Egyptian harbor , of Pharaoh Khufu , dating from c.2500 BC located on
440-439: The water from shore, dropped dunnage or lost cargo from ships ( jetsam ), and the remains of shipwrecked wooden ships and boats ( flotsam ). Erosion and wave action may make it difficult or impossible to determine the origin of a particular piece of driftwood. Driftwood can be used as part of decorative furniture or other art forms, and is a popular element in the scenery of fish tanks . According to Norse mythology ,
462-447: Was straight grained and in reasonably good condition; these were reinforced with sinew cables. The Inuit even made arrows from driftwood; these were often short and fitted with bone or antler foreshafts. Dry scrapings produced by working this material were collected, stored and used for the starting of fires year-round by Inuit. Wood that is burned today in these regions mainly consists of the remains of condemned wooden structures. Driftwood
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#1732852625694484-451: Was the main, or sometimes only, source of wood for some Inuit and other Arctic populations living north of the tree line until they came into regular contact with European traders. Traditional Inuit boats such as the kayak were fashioned from driftwood frames covered in skins. The Inuit classified driftwood into seven different types, each possessing its own unique material and visual properties. Driftwood could be used to make bows if it
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