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Low-tide elevation - meaning and illustration

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2024-02-07 00:00:00

1. Synonyms, etymology, translation, definition, examples and notes

1.1. Subject field:

Marine ecosystem. (Hierarchy:

Marine navigation. (Hierarchy:

Fisheries
Aquatic navigation
Marine navigation

1.2. IPA transcription and prononciation for low-tide elevation:

Low-tide elevation /ləʊ taɪd ˌelɪˈveɪʃən/

ngrams is unavailable at the moment

Graph 1 : low-tide elevation - Google ngram extract ( graph of term etymology and evolution. Source: Google ngram )

1.3. Etymology of Low-tide elevation:

The word low-tide elevation dates back before the twentieth century. The earliest usages in published works can be seen in books such as:

Benedict, E. C., Knauth, A. W., Knauth, C. R. (1940). The Law of American Admiralty: Its Jurisdiction and Practice; with Forms and Directions. United States: M. Bender. page 562. View in Google books ;
Appeared in numerous articles in the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). This goes to support the fact that it was already an internationally recognised term;

An analysis of ngram graph, graph 1, above shows that the term low-tide elevation came into usage even before the 1870's. It then became wildly used from the 1940's, turned even more popular after its usage in the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

1.4. French translation of low-tide elevation:

Low-tide elevation can be translated into French as:

Haut-fond découvrant

1.5. Definition of low-tide elevation in fisheries:

Low-tide elevation: a naturally formed offshore land feature (such as mudflat, shoal, rock, or reef ) within a distance of not more than 12 nautical miles from the low-water line of the mainland or an island, which is surrounded by water and visible at low tide but submerged at high tide.

1.6. Plural of low-tide elevation:

Low-tide elevations;

1.7. Usage example of low-tide elevation:

" Where a low-tide elevation is wholly situated at a distance exceeding the breadth of the territorial sea from the mainland or an island, it has no territorial sea of its own. " (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, article 13, paragraph 2)

1.8. Notes on low-tide elevation

Naturally occurring offshore land features (e.g. mudflats, shoals, rocks, or reefs ) visible during low tides but submerged at high tide.

Characteristics of low-tide elevations:

They are situated within a distance of not more than 12 nautical miles from the low-water line of the mainland or of an island;
They are surroundedby water at mean lower low water, which is above the level of mean lower low water but not above the level of mean high water;
Naturally-formed on the see bed;

Significance and application of low-tide elevations in international law:

Pursuant to the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which is the international landmark convention regulating the world's oceans and seas, the following rules are applicable:

Low tide elevations may be used as basepoints for the calculation of maritime zones when they are lying within the breath of the territorial sea;
low-tide elevations lying totally outside the usual breadth of the territorial sea (12-miles) do not have any territorial sea and thus, cannot expand the reach of the territorial sea of a nation.

Fishery terminology records for Low-tide elevation

2. Legal instruments related to: Low-tide elevation

1. United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, article 13, paragraph 1:

" A low-tide elevation is a naturally formed area of land which is surrounded by and above water at low tide but submerged at high tide. Where a low-tide elevation is situated wholly or partly at a distance not exceeding the breadth of the territorial sea from the mainland or an island, the low-water line on that elevation may be used as the baseline for measuring the breadth of the territorial sea. "

2. United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, article 13, paragraph 2:

" Where a low-tide elevation is wholly situated at a distance exceeding the breadth of the territorial sea from the mainland or an island, it has no territorial sea of its own. "

3. United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, article 47, paragraph 4:

" Such baselines shall not be drawn to and from low-tide elevations, unless lighthouses or similar installations which are permanently above sea level have been built on them or where a low-tide elevation is situated wholly or partly at a distance not exceeding the breadth of the territorial sea from the nearest island. "

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