Conch Reef is a
coral reef
A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, whose polyps cluster in groups.
Co ...
located within the
Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary
The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary is a U.S. National Marine Sanctuary in the Florida Keys. It includes the Florida Reef, the only barrier coral reef in North America and the third-largest coral barrier reef in the world. It also has ex ...
. It lies to the southeast of
Plantation Key
Plantation Key is an island in Monroe County, Florida, United States. It is located in the upper Florida Keys on U.S. 1 (or the Overseas Highway), between Key Largo and Windley Key.
All of the key is within the Village of Islamorada as of Nov ...
. This reef is within a Sanctuary Preservation Area (SPA). Adjacent to the SPA is a "Research Only" zone and the
Aquarius underwater laboratory is at the center of the zone. Outside of these zones is Conch Wall, a deep wall reef.
External links
Contour map of Conch Reef, with Aquarius lab in centerVideo of Pillar coral at Conch Wall* Barbara H. Lidz, Christopher D. Reich, and Eugene A. Shinn. Systematic Mapping of Bedrock and Habitats along the Florida Reef Tract—Central Key Largo to Halfmoon Shoal (Gulf of Mexico). USGS Professional Paper 175
References
NOAA National Marine Sanctuary Maps, Florida Keys EastNOAA Navigational Chart 11464
{{corals
Coral reefs of the Florida Keys