<P> The eulittoral zone (also called the midlittoral or mediolittoral zone) is the intertidal zone also known as the foreshore . It extends from the spring high tide line, which is rarely inundated, to the spring low tide line, which is rarely not inundated . The wave action and turbulence of recurring tides shapes and reforms cliffs, gaps, and caves, offering a huge range of habitats for sedentary organisms . Protected rocky shorelines usually show a narrow almost homogenous eulittoral strip, often marked by the presence of barnacles . Exposed sites show a wider extension and are often divided into further zones . For more on this, see intertidal ecology . </P> <P> The sublittoral zone starts immediately below the eulittoral zone . This zone is permanently covered with seawater and is approximately equivalent to the neritic zone . </P> <P> In physical oceanography, the sublittoral zone refers to coastal regions with significant tidal flows and energy dissipation, including non-linear flows, internal waves, river outflows and oceanic fronts . In practice, this typically extends to the edge of the continental shelf, with depths around 200 meters . </P> <P> In marine biology, the sublittoral refers to the areas where sunlight reaches the ocean floor, that is, where the water is never so deep as to take it out of the photic zone . This results in high primary production and makes the sublittoral zone the location of the majority of sea life . As in physical oceanography, this zone typically extends to the edge of the continental shelf . The benthic zone in the sublittoral is much more stable than in the intertidal zone; temperature, water pressure, and the amount of sunlight remain fairly constant . Sublittoral corals do not have to deal with as much change as intertidal corals . Corals can live in both zones, but they are more common in the sublittoral zone . </P>

The coastal environment is generally called the littoral zone