barrier reefs
Offshore coral walls
Barrier reefs are coral reef formations that run parallel to a coastline but are separated from it by a wide, deep lagoon.
Unlike fringing reefs that grow directly from the shore, barrier reefs form at a distance, creating a natural barrier between open ocean and calmer waters.
Australia's Great Barrier Reef is the most famous example, stretching over 1,400 miles along the Queensland coast.
- coralMarine skeletal formation
- atollRing-shaped reef island
- island chainSeries of linked islands
- coral bleachingStress-induced reef discoloration
- polypsFixed aquatic invertebrates
ocean acidification · lagoon · marine life · calcium carbonate · coral gardens · algae · underwater world · scuba diving · coastal ecosystems · marine · snorkeling · tropical waters · breakwater · sea wall · diving · shallow · biodiversity · turquoise
- South PacificFiji, Samoa, Tonga, Tahiti, Polynesia
- coral reefscorals, soft corals, polyp, soft coral, polyps
- ecotourismecotourism, ecotour, ecotours, nature reserve, Galapagos Islands
- island ecologyoceanic islands, endemic species, archipelago, archipelagos, atoll
- island geologyatolls, volcanic islands, coral atolls, archipelago, archipelagos
- reefsatolls
barrier, reef, barricade, reefs, coral reef, barriers, barrier reef, reef-building