Coral Reef Formations
What are the three types of coral reef formations?
-
The Most Common Coral Reef
The most common coral reef is the fringing reef. Fringing reefs grow from the shore into the sea. Barrier reefs also border the shoreline separated by water forming a lagoon. When a fringing reef continues growing around a sunken volcanic island, an atoll forms.
Atolls
Atolls are circular with an open lagoon.
-
Reef Zones
Reefs have three zones: the back reef, reef crest, and fore-reef. The back reef is the lagoon between the shore and reef. Although reefs occupy little ocean area, they support much marine life.
-
Reef Importance
Schools of fish live on Hawaiian atoll reefs. Reefs bring tourism revenue to countries. Without reefs, coasts erode. Reef building coral secrete calcium carbonate forming ecosystems held together by this material. Most reefs grow in tropical shallow waters, but some deep water reefs exist. The Great Barrier Reef in Australia is an example of a beautiful reef. Reefs face stresses like climate change causing coral bleaching.