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Reef - Wikipedia A reef is a ridge or shoal of rock, coral, or similar relatively stable material lying beneath the surface of a natural body of water [1] Many reefs result from natural, abiotic (non-living) processes such as deposition of sand or wave erosion planning down rock outcrops
Coral reef | Description, Geochemistry, Origins, Threats | Britannica Coral reef, ridge or hummock formed in shallow ocean areas by algae and the calcareous skeletons of coral polyps and other coelenterates A coral reef may grow into a permanent coral island Often called ‘rainforests of the sea,’ coral reefs are home to a spectacular variety of organisms
Coral reef ecosystems - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Coral reefs are some of the most diverse ecosystems in the world Coral polyps, the animals primarily responsible for building reefs, can take many forms: large reef building colonies, graceful flowing fans, and even small, solitary organisms
Reef - National Geographic Society As it grows, a coral reef provides homes for a vast number of living creatures Coral reefs are among the richest, most varied communities of life found anywhere in the ocean Many reef creatures, including the coral polyps themselves, are nocturnal They are active only at night
What Are Coral Reefs and Why Are They So Important? A coral reef is a colony of hundreds of thousands of individual animals called coral polyps These form when free-swimming coral larvae get attached to rocks or other hard surfaces underwater, mainly along the coastlines of islands and continents
Coral Reef Facts | U. S. Geological Survey - USGS. gov To a surfer, a reef is an undersea obstruction that can make waves (and surfboards) break Scientists generally restrict the definition of a reef to rigid biological constructions The Earth's first reef-building organisms were photosynthesizing cyanobacteria living about 3 5 billion years ago
Coral reefs | UNEP - UN Environment Programme The loss of coral reef ecosystems has profound impacts on biodiversity in our ocean, and also the livelihoods and safety of hundreds of millions of people around the world Ensuring the survival of coral reefs is thus important for the health of our ocean but also for the survival and wellbeing of humanity as a whole
Coral Islands, Reefs, and Atolls - U. S. National Park Service Geologically, coral islands are one small part of a whole coral reef platform Coral reefs are the collective structures of living hard coral that form intricate underwater ecosystems, providing homes to vibrant fish species, mollusks, sea turtles, and invertebrates Coral reefs take on three main forms based on their distance to the mainland