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Types of Coral Reefs
NOAA Image
Fringing reefs are coral reefs that grow in shallow waters and border the
coast closely or are separated from it by a narrow stretch of water. Fringing
reefs consist of several zones that are characterized by their depth, the
structure of the reef, and its plant and animal communities.
These regions
include the reef crest (the part of the reef the waves break over), the fore
reef (the region of medium energy), and the spur and groove or buttress zone
(the region of coral growth which includes rows of corals with sandy canyons or
passages between each row).
Fringing
Reef Bora Bora NASA JPL Satellite: Space Shuttle Sensor: SIR-C/X-SAR
Apron
reef – short reef resembling a
fringing reef, but more sloped; extending out and downward from a point or
peninsular shore
Barrier reefs are reefs that are separated from land by a lagoon. These reefs
grow parallel to the coast and are large and continuous. Barrier reefs also
include regions of coral formation that include the zones found in fringing
reefs along with patch reefs (small reefs), back reefs (the shoreward side of
the reef), as well as bank reefs (reefs that occur on deep bottom
irregularities).
Barrier reefs also include reef flats (the are of the reef not
exposed), the reef crest, which runs parallel to the coast and is protected from
waves, and a coral terrace (a slope of sand with isolated coral peaks). These
features are followed by another coral terrace and a vertical drop into deeper
waters.
Australia’s
Great Barrier Reef
NASA/GSFC/LaRC/JPL,
MISR Team. Satellite: Terra Sensor: MISR
Patch
reef – an isolated, often circular reef, usually within a lagoon or
embayment
- Located in shallow water
10-20' (3-6 m)
- Outer edge ringed by sand
- Dominated by large star and
brain coral colonies
Ribbon
reef – long, narrow, somewhat winding reef, usually associated with an
atoll lagoon
Table
reef – isolated reef, approaching an atoll type, but without a lagoon
Bank
Reef – Bank reefs are larger than patch reefs and are linear or
semi-circular in outline
Bank
Reef Scene
credit:
U.S. Geological Survey
- Located seaward from patch
reefs
- High species diversity
- Characterized by spur and
groove formation
Atolls
in The Maldives Landsat 7
Atolls are annular reefs that develop at or near the surface of the sea when
islands that are surrounded by reefs subside.
Atolls separate a central lagoon
and are circular or sub-circular. There are two types of atolls: deep sea atolls
that rise from deep sea and those found on the continental shelf.
View
of Midway Atoll from Space Shuttle
U.S. Coral Reefs
Coral
Reef Area Shaded Blue
There are extensive coral reefs
in the waters of the United States and its territories, covering more than 4
million acres of the sea floor in the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean
Sea, and the Pacific Ocean. More than 60% of the Nation’s coral reefs are
found in the extended Hawaiian Island chain. Most of these are included in the
recently designated Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Reserve, the
largest U.S. nature preserve.
These
include reefs off Florida, Texas, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. In
the Pacific Ocean, they include those of the Hawaiian Islands, Wake Island,
Johnston Atoll, the Northern Marianas, Saipan, Guam, Kingman Reef and Palmyra
Atoll, Howland Island, Baker Island, Jarvis Island, and American Samoa.
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New
NOAA Maps Show Big Island Has Most Live Coral of Main Hawaiian Islands-Click
Here
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Bleaching
on the Great Barrier Reef-Click Here
-
NASA
Helps Researchers Diagnose Recent Coral Bleaching at Great Barrier Reef-Click
Here
-
Acid
Oceans Warning -Click Here
-
Major
international study warns global warming is destroying coral reefs-Click
Here
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Call
For Climate Action To Save Coral Reefs-Click Here
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President
Bush Establishes Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument-Click
here
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Caribbean
Coral Reefs first mass die off of coral in over 3,000 years images and
story click here
For More
Information Visit the organizations Below-
REEF RELIEF
is a non profit membership organization dedicated to Preserving and Protecting
Living Coral Reef Ecosystems through local, regional and global efforts. To find
out more about Coral Reefs click on the REEF
RELIEF Logo. Do your part to save
the Earth join REEF
RELIEF today!
REEF
RELIEF, Post Office Box 430, Key West, Florida 33041
Reef
Check is an international program that works with communities, governments and
businesses to scientifically monitor, restore and maintain coral reef health.
Reef Check objectives are to: educate the public about the coral reef crisis; to
create a global network of volunteer teams trained in Reef Check’s scientific
methods who regularly monitor and report on reef health; to facilitate
collaboration that produces ecologically sound and economically sustainable
solutions; and to stimulate local community action to protect remaining pristine
reefs and rehabilitate damaged reefs worldwide.
Reef
Check P.O. Box 1057 17575 Pacific Coast Highway Pacific Palisades, CA 90272-1057
The
Coral Reef Targeted Research and Capacity Building for Management (CRTR) Program
is a leading international coral reef research initiative that provides a
coordinated approach to credible, factual and scientifically-proven knowledge
for improved coral reef management.
credit:
NOAA, NASA, Reef Check, UNEP, Reef Relief, Australian Government
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