Image: Wikimedia Commons

reef

Feature lying beneath the surface of the water

EntityQ184358

Subclass of: landscape
, undersea landform
, shoal

Overview

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · Read full article · Text CC BY-SA 4.0

A reef is a ridge or shoal of rock, coral, or similar relatively stable material lying beneath the surface of a natural body of water. Many reefs result from natural, abiotic (non-living) processes such as deposition of sand or wave erosion planing down rock outcrops. However, reefs such as the coral reefs of tropical waters are formed by biotic (living) processes, dominated by corals and coralline algae. Artificial reefs, such as shipwrecks and other man-made underwater structures, may occur intentionally or as the result of an accident. These are sometimes designed to increase the physical complexity of featureless sand bottoms to attract a more diverse range of organisms. They provide shelter to various aquatic animals which help prevent extinction. Another reason reefs are put in place is for aquaculture, and fish farmers who are looking to improve their businesses sometimes invest in them. Reefs are often quite near to the surface, but not all definitions require this.

Overview

All data

43 statements · 26% with external sources · numbers in brackets are citations

OpenStreetMap tag: natural=reef
Studied by: reef ecology
Made from material: limestone

On other databases

33 identifiers linking reef across the web's reference databases

Data quality

statements

26%

externally sourced

Source last edited September 6, 2026. AIDB refreshes this page daily.

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Cite this page

AIDB. (2026). reef (Q184358). Retrieved from https://aidb.si/e/reef-Q184358