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The Wicklow Reef () is a shallow subtidal
reef 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 processes— deposition of sand, wave erosion planing down rock o ...
in the
Irish Sea The Irish Sea or , gv, Y Keayn Yernagh, sco, Erse Sie, gd, Muir Èireann , Ulster-Scots: ''Airish Sea'', cy, Môr Iwerddon . is an extensive body of water that separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is linked to the Ce ...
, located off the coast of County Wicklow, Ireland, approximately northeast of Wicklow Head. The reefs are constructed by the honeycomb worm (''Sabellaria alveolata'') and are located at a depth of . Prior to the discovery of the Wicklow Reef in 1997, ''Sabellaria alveolata'' reefs were only known to occur in inter-tidal zones along the coasts of Britain and Ireland. Sub-tidal reefs are exceptionally rare in the region, being typically found in the
Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...
. The Wicklow Reef is the first and only known example of a sub-tidal ''Sabellaria alveolata'' reef off the coast of Britain and Ireland. The reef is home to a number of species of crab, starfish, sea-squirts, brittlestars, as well as molluscs and bryozoans. Several species of worm such as ''Phaeostachys spinifera'', ''Eulalia ornata'' and ''Unciola crenatipalma'' are very uncommon in Irish waters, and the Wicklow Reef is therefore considered a priority habitat. The reef is an EU-designated
Special Area of Conservation A Special Area of Conservation (SAC) is defined in the European Union's Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), also known as the ''Directive on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora''. They are to protect the 220 habitats and a ...
.


Reef species


See also

*
List of Special Areas of Conservation in the Republic of Ireland The following is a list of Special Areas of Conservation in the Republic of Ireland, as listed by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (Ireland), National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS). Since 2020, the NPWS has operated under the aegis o ...


References

{{Geography of County Wicklow, state= Geography of County Wicklow Tourist attractions in County Wicklow Special Areas of Conservation in the Republic of Ireland Reefs