barrier reef
American Heritage Dictionary:
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barrier reef
n.
A long, narrow ridge of coral or rock parallel to and relatively near a coastline, separated from the coastline by a lagoon too deep for coral growth.
Oxford Dictionary of Geography:
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barrier reef
A coral reef, stretching along a line parallel with the coastline but separated from it by a wide, deep lagoon, the most famous of which is the Great Barrier Reef off north-west Australia. Also classified as barrier reefs are those coral reefs encircling islands, one of the best examples being the Turk group in the Caroline Islands. The coral on a barrier reef builds up to the level of low tides. See also coral reef.
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categories related to 'barrier reef'
- Coastal Land, Islands, and the Sea - barrier reef: coral reef separated from shore by lagoon
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Copyrights:
American Heritage Dictionary
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Oxford Dictionary of Geography
A Dictionary of Geography. Copyright © Susan Mayhew 1992, 1997, 2004. All rights reserved.
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Mentioned in
barrier lagoon
(geography)
coral-reef lagoon
(geography)
Australian Ark: Life and Death on the Great Barrier Reef
(1987 Nature Film)
Rand McNally Video Expeditions: Exploring Tropical Australia
(1993 Travel Film)
Virtual Relaxation: Escape to the Coral Reef
(Nature Film)
» More