Lagoon – Living Oceans Foundation

[luh-goon]
A body of water that is separated from a larger body of water by a coral reef or land.

Glossary: Fringing Reef
A type of reef where corals colonize near the shoreline of continents or islands and do not contain a lagoon.
Glossary: Patch Reef
A small, isolated coral reef that is often found in a lagoon or embayment. They are often circular in shape.
Glossary: Atoll
An oval, circular, or horseshoe-shaped coral reef, which contains a coral rim that partially or completely encloses a lagoon.
Glossary: Back Reef
An area that slopes into a lagoon and is present in barrier reefs and atolls.
Glossary: Barrier Reef
A coral reef that is separated from shore by a lagoon. Typically, they grow along the outer edge of the continental shelf, running parallel to the shoreline. They are further off shore than fringing reefs.