A natural process where material is worn away from the Earth’s surface and transported elsewhere

The deposition of suspended particles from water  

A geological process where sediments, soil, and rocks are added to a landform or land mass

A low drying triangular area at the mouth of a river formed by the deposition of sediments

The study of the forms of things

 A partially enclosed, tidal, coastal of water fresh water from a river meets the saltwater of the ocean

The level of transparency loss water has due to the presence of suspended particles in the water, the higher the turbidity, the harder it is to see through the water

A reef close to and surrounding newer volcanic islands or borders continental landmasses

A reef separated by a lagoon from the land mass with which it is associated 

A coral reef somewhat circular in shape with a central lagoon

Small, isolated reef usually located within the lagoon of a barrier reef

A shallow, sheltered body of water with a soft sediment bottom

When a coral loses more of its calcium carbonate skeleton per year it gains

Reef erosion caused by living organisms

The process where the pH of the ocean is reduced over an extended period of time; generally contributed to a rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide

The changes in global climate or regional climate patterns since the late twentieth century

The whitening of coral that results from the loss of a coral’s symbiotic zooxanthellae

The removal of moisture or drying of an organism

An underwater structure built by humans to mimic the characteristics of a natural reef