Coral reefs are underwater structures made from calcium carbonate secreted by corals.

Corals are
colonies of tiny living animals found in marine waters containing few nutrients. Most coral reefs are built
from stony corals, and are formed by polyps that live together in groups. The polyps secrete a hard
carbonate exoskeleton which provides support and protection for the body of each polyp. Reefs grow
best in warm, shallow, clear, sunny and agitated waters.

Types

The three principal reef types are:

 Fringing reef – a reef that is directly attached to a shore or borders it with an intervening
shallow channel or lagoon
 Barrier reef – a reef separated from a mainland or island shore by a deep channel or
lagoon
 Atoll reef – a more or less circular or continuous barrier reef extending all the way
around a lagoon without a central island

Other reef types or variants are:

 Patch reef – an isolated, comparatively small reef outcrop, usually within a lagoon or
embayment, often circular and surrounded by sand or seagrass. Patch reefs are common
 Apron reef – a short reef resembling a fringing reef, but more sloped; extending out and
downward from a point or peninsular shore
 Bank reef – a linear or semi-circular shaped-outline, larger than a patch reef.
 Ribbon reef – a long, narrow, possibly winding reef, usually associated with an atoll
lagoon
 Table reef – an isolated reef, approaching an atoll type, but without a lagoon.
 Habili - reef in the Red Sea that does not reach the surface near enough to cause visible
surf, although it may a hazard to ships

Zones

 The reef surface is the shallowest part of the reef. It is subject to the surge and the rise
and fall of tides. When waves pass over shallow areas, they shoal, as shown in the
diagram at the right. This means that the water is often agitated. These are the precise
condition under which coral flourish. Shallowness means there is plenty of light for
photosynthesis by the symbiotic zooxanthellae, and agitated water promotes the ability of
 coral to feed on plankton. However other organisms must be able to withstand the robust
conditions to flourish in this zone.

 The off-reef floor is the shallow sea floor surrounding a reef. This zone occurs by reefs
on continental shelves. Reefs around tropical islands and atolls drop abruptly to great
depths, and don't have a floor. Usually sandy, the floor often supports seagrass meadows
which are important foraging areas for reef fish.

 The reef drop-off is, for its first 50 metres, habitat for many reef fish who find shelter on
the cliff face and plankton in the water nearby. The drop-off zone applies mainly to the
reefs surrounding oceanic islands and atolls.

 The reef face is the zone above the reef floor or the reef drop-off. "It is usually the
richest habitat. Its complex growths of coral and calcareous algae provide cracks and
crevices for protection, and the abundant invertebrates and epiphytic algae provide an
ample source of food."[17]

 The reef flat – sandy bottomed flat can be behind the main reef, containing chunks of
coral. "The reef flat may be a protective area bordering a lagoon, or it may be a flat,
rocky area between the reef and the shore. In the former case, the number of fish species
living in the area often is the highest of any reef zone."[17]

 The reef lagoon – "many coral reefs completely enclose an area, thereby creating a
quiet-water lagoon that usually contains small patches of reef."

Principal coral reefs and reef areas

 The Great Barrier Reef - largest, comprising over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands
stretching for over 2,600 kilometers (1,616 mi) off Queensland, Australia
 The Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System - second largest, stretching 1,000 kilometers
(621 mi) from Isla Contoy at the tip of the Yucatán Peninsula down to the Bay Islands of
Honduras
 The New Caledonia Barrier Reef - second longest double barrier reef, covering
1,500 kilometers (930 mi)
 The Andros, Bahamas Barrier Reef - third largest, following the east coast of Andros
Island, Bahamas, between Andros and Nassau
 The Red Sea Coral Reef - located off the coast of Israel, Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti,
Somalia, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen
 Pulley Ridge - deepest photosynthetic coral reef, Florida
 Numerous reefs scattered over the Maldives
 Ghe Raja Ampat Islands in Indonesia's West Papua province offer the highest known
marine diversity