coral reef

noun

1. a reef composed mainly of coral and other organic matter of which parts have solidified into limestone.

coral reef

noun

1. a marine ridge or reef consisting of coral and other organic material consolidated into limestone

coral reef

1. A mound or ridge of living coral, coral skeletons, and calcium carbonate deposits from other organisms such as calcareous algae, mollusks, and protozoans. Most coral reefs form in warm, shallow sea waters and rise to or near the surface, generally in the form of a barrier reef , fringing reef , or atoll . Coral reefs grow upward from the sea floor as the polyps of new corals cement themselves to the skeletons of those below and in turn provide support for algae and other organisms whose secretions serve to bind the skeletons together. The resulting structure provides a critical habitat for a wide variety of fish and marine invertebrates. Coral reefs also protect shores against erosion by causing large waves to break and lose some of their force before reaching land. The Great Barrier Reef off the northeastern coast of Australia extends for some 2,000 km (1,240 mi), making it the world's largest coral reef.

coral reef

1. A formation, at or near the surface of tropical waters, formed by skeletal deposits of corals, a form of sea life.

Notes

Atolls — ring-shaped islands that nearly or entirely enclose a lagoon — are coral reefs.

Coral reefs form a protective environment for a wide variety of marine animals.

Coral reefs are very sensitive to chemical pollution and changes in temperature and are considered to be in danger from environmental stress.

The largest coral reef is the Great Barrier Reef of Australia .

Word History and Origins

Origin of coral reef¹

First recorded in 1735–45

Example Sentences

In fact, coral reefs generate a constant stream of melodious tunes.

From Popular-Science

For now, book the three-bedroom villa and explore the island’s hikes and pristine coral reef.

From Outside Online

To cool down, Peter, a climate scientist who studied coral reefs, had stood in a stream for an hour, like a man might stand at a morgue waiting to identify a loved one’s body, irritated by his powerlessness, massively depressed.

From ProPublica

Cutting trees for fuel leads to deforestation, causing landslides and erosion of fertile land that can run off into the ocean, damaging coral reefs and marine ecosystems.

From Time

When a coral reef is healthy, it’s quite noisy with the sound of marine activity, and that noise attracts more activity.

From Freakonomics

Their purpose lies inherently deeper: providing the building blocks for sustaining a rapidly depleting coral reef environment.

From The Daily Beast

The rainbow of life in a coral reef is founded on the partnership between polyps and algae.

From The Daily Beast

All the islands are low and wooded, and surrounded by a coral reef of small extent.

From Project Gutenberg

Once they were beached on a coral reef, and it was all they could do to get the boat off again into deep water.

From Project Gutenberg

She was driven on to a coral reef in a bad storm off the coast of Taviuni.

From Project Gutenberg

We afterwards found that this coral reef extended quite round the island, and formed a natural breakwater to it.

From Project Gutenberg

There are three kinds of coral reef—namely, fringing reefs, barrier reefs, and atolls.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• atoll
• beach
• shoal