Coral reef

A marine ecosystem built mainly from calcium-carbonate structures produced by reef-building corals. Coral reefs support diverse organisms, usually in shallow, sunlit waters.

Scleractinia: An order of stony corals whose members secrete calcium-carbonate skeletons. These reef-building corals construct much of the framework that gives reefs their structure.
Reef-building coral: A coral that contributes substantially to reef structure by depositing a hard calcium-carbonate skeleton. These corals are the principal living builders of the reef framework.
Coastal protection: The reduction of coastal erosion and flooding through natural or engineered barriers. Reef structures dissipate wave energy before it reaches shorelines.
Ocean acidification: The decline in ocean pH caused mainly by seawater absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Lower carbonate availability can make skeleton formation harder for reef-building organisms.
Great Barrier Reef: A vast coral reef system off the coast of Queensland, Australia. It illustrates the scale and regional variation possible within a reef system.
Coral calcification: The biological process by which corals deposit calcium carbonate to form skeletons. Repeated skeletal growth builds reef framework over time.
Coral polyp: A small, soft-bodied coral animal with a mouth surrounded by tentacles. Colonies of polyps secrete the skeletons that form much of a reef.
Reef fisheries: Fisheries that harvest organisms living in or around coral reef ecosystems. Reef habitats sustain food harvests and livelihoods in many coastal regions.
Marine heatwave: A prolonged period of unusually warm ocean temperatures relative to a local historical range. Heat stress can trigger widespread coral bleaching and mortality.
Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System: A large reef system extending along the Caribbean coasts of Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras. Its transnational extent links reef ecology with regional conservation and coastal use.

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