claim: However, there is a process of accretion, where coral broken up by the waves washes up on these low-lying islands as sand, counteracting the reduction in land mass.
evidence: Habili – reef specific to the Red Sea; does not reach near enough to the surface to cause visible surf; may be a hazard to ships ( from the Arabic for unborn ) Microatoll – community of species of corals; vertical growth limited by average tidal height; growth morphologies offer a low-resolution record of patterns of sea level change; fossilized remains can be dated using radioactive carbon dating and have been used to reconstruct Holocene sea levels Cays – small, low-elevation, sandy islands formed on the surface of coral reefs from eroded material that piles up, forming an area above sea level; can be stabilized by plants to become habitable; occur in tropical environments throughout the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans ( including the Caribbean and on the Great Barrier Reef and Belize Barrier Reef ), where they provide habitable and agricultural land Seamount or guyot – formed when a coral reef on a volcanic island subsides; tops of seamounts are rounded and guyots are flat; flat tops of guyots, or tablemounts, are due to erosion by waves, winds, and atmospheric processes Coral reef ecosystems contain distinct zones that host different kinds of habitats.