Glossary
| Term | Description |
|---|---|
| Pathogen | An organism capable of eliciting disease symptoms in another organism. |
| PCA | Principal Components Analysis |
| Peak Hmax | Highest maximum wave height recorded during a storm event. |
| Peak Hsig | Highest significant wave height recorded during a storm event. |
| Peak Wave Power | Maximum wave power level recorded during a storm event. |
| Pebbles | Beach material usually well-rounded and between about 4 mm to 75 mm in diameter. |
| Pelagic | Term applied to organisms of the plankton and nekton which inhabit the open water of a sea or lake. |
| Pelagic | Animal life that is found in the water column (fish, zooplankton, etc) |
| Percentage Exceedance | Percentage of time that a given value is exceeded. |
| Percentage Occurrence | Percentage of time that given value (or range of values) occurs. |
| Perigean tides or tidal currents | Tides of increased range or tidal currents of increased speed occurring monthly as the result of the Moon being in perigee. |
| Perigee | The point in the orbit of the Moon or man-made satellite nearest to the Earth. The point in the orbit of a satellite nearest to its companion body. |
| Perihelion | The point in the orbit of the Earth (or other planet, etc.) nearest to the Sun. |
| pH | Value taken to represent the acidity or alkalinity of an aqueous solution. It is defined as the negative logarithm of the hydrogen ion acidity of the solution. |
| Photosynthesis | The conversion of carbon dioxide to carbohydrates in the presence of chlorophyll using light energy. General equation: CO2 + 2H2O => (CH2O) + O2 + H2O |
| Physical models | Refers to the investigation of coastal processes using a scaled model. |
| PLA | Port of London Authority |
| Pleistocene | The geological period extending from around two million years to 10,000 years before present, characterised by glacial and interglacial periods. |
| Plunging Waves | The wave crest breaks suddenly and with tremendous force by curling over a near vertical wave face. |
| Pocket beach | A beach, usually small, between two headlands. |
| Pressure Sensor | A pressure transducer sensing device for water level measurement. |
| Progradation | An extension of a coastal landform by sedimentation. |