Reef

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In nautical terminology, a reef is a rock, sandbar, or other feature lying beneath the surface of the water (six fathoms or less at low water).

Many reefs result from abiotic processes—deposition of sand, wave erosion planning down rock outcrops, and other natural processes—but the best-known reefs are the coral reefs of tropical waters developed through biotic processes dominated by corals and calcareous algae. Artificial reefs such as shipwrecks are sometimes created to enhance physical complexity on generally featureless sand bottoms in order to attract a diverse assemblage of organisms, especially fish.

For more information about Reef, read the full article at Wikipedia.
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News tagged with reef


Fish with attitude: Some like it hot

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Dec 03, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Coral reef fish can undergo a personality change in warmer water, according to an intriguing new study suggesting that climate change may make some species more aggressive.





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The Exxon Valdez spilled 11 million gallons of crude into the sea in 1989

Fuel spill at same Alaska reef as Exxon Valdez

Space & Earth / Environment

created 9 hours ago | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 1

A tugboat struck the same reef as the Exxon Valdez tanker 20 years ago, spilling diesel into Alaska's Prince William Sound and creating a three-mile-long slick, the US Coast Guard said on Friday.


Ancient Pacific islanders brought to light

Ancient Pacific islanders brought to light

Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils

created Dec 21, 2009 | popularity 4.6 / 5 (5) | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- A find of 60 headless skeletons summer 2009 may reveal the identity of the people who first inhabited the Pacific Ocean archipelago Vanuatu 3000 years ago.


Living buildings could mop up carbon dioxide

Living buildings could mop up carbon dioxide

Other Sciences / Other

created Nov 27, 2009 | popularity 1 / 5 (2) | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Architecture could help us tackle climate change, if we start to design our buildings with 'living' materials, according to Dr Rachel Armstrong, UCL Bartlett School of Architecture.


New pictures reveal rich Antarctic marine life in area of rapid climate change

New pictures reveal rich Antarctic marine life in area of rapid climate change

Space & Earth / Environment

created Dec 17, 2009 | popularity 4.4 / 5 (9) | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- New photographs of ice fish, octopus, sea pigs, giant sea spiders, rare rays and beautiful basket stars that live in Antarctica’s continental shelf seas are revealed this week by the British ...


Seeing how evolutionary mechanisms yield biological diversity

Biology / Evolution

created Dec 22, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

An international team of scientists has discovered how changes in both gene expression and gene sequence led to the diversity of visual systems in African cichlid fish.


Researchers take part in DNA sequencing for entire Pacific island

Researchers plan DNA sequencing for entire Pacific island

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Dec 02, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- University of Florida researchers are collecting marine invertebrates on the French Polynesian island of Moorea as part of a massive effort to inventory the DNA sequence of every living species ...



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