0 an area of coral (= a substance like rock formed by small sea creatures) just above or just below the surface of the sea, that is close to land but separated from it by an area of water:
The third largest coral barrier reef in the world lies just off the Atlantic side of the Keys.
The IPCC report said that Australia's Great Barrier Reef faces extinction.
The muddy silt eventually washes into the sea and out to the Great Barrier Reef, smothering pristine reefs and killing coral.
This is a critical habitat for elkhorn and staghorn corals, two species that have long formed the foundation of barrier reefs off Florida and in the Caribbean.
