State of the Reef Report 2003: Inter-reefal and lagoonal benthos

Abstract

In contrast to its name, only about five per cent of the area of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park is taken up by coral reefs, with most of the remaining 95 per cent comprised of seabed and benthic (bottom dwelling) communities, other than coral reefs. This seabed is ecologically complex and includes many different types of habitats. Generally it can be divided into three broad categories (as shown in the following map): the Great Barrier Reef lagoon: a relatively open area of primarily soft sediment seabed covering the area between the mainland and the part of the seabed where the reefs begin. Generally speaking, the lagoon in the northern region of the World Heritage Area is much narrower (in some places almost non-existent) than the southern lagoonal areas; the inter-reefal area: the seabed found between coral reefs at the outer edge of the lagoon and the reefs at the edge of the continental shelf; and the continental slope and associated habitats.