The meaning of the word "atoll" The meaning of the word atoll What are atolls in biology

Explanatory Dictionary of the Living Great Russian Language, Dal Vladimir

atoll

m. coral island with an open ring; an annular, lagoon ridge, an island, gradually carved out by the smallest skull-dwellers, with a lake or lagoon in the middle (the lagoon can be converted into a Russian lagoon).

Explanatory dictionary of the Russian language. D.N. Ushakov

atoll

atoll, m. (Malay). Ring-shaped coral island.

Explanatory dictionary of the Russian language. S.I.Ozhegov, N.Yu.Shvedova.

atoll

A, m. Coral island is ring-shaped.

adj. atoll, -aya, -oe.

New explanatory dictionary of the Russian language, T. F. Efremova.

atoll

m. Coral island, shaped like a ring (sometimes broken).

Encyclopedic Dictionary, 1998

atoll

a coral structure in the form of a continuous or broken ring surrounding a shallow lagoon. The base for an atoll is usually the top of an underwater volcano. Distributed in tropical latitudes of the Pacific and Indian oceans.

Atoll

(from Maldivian atolu), a coral island in the shape of a continuous or broken ring surrounding a lagoon of shallow depth (up to 100 m). Formed mainly by calcareous structures of colonial corals. A. are usually small, but sometimes reach 50 km or more in diameter. Found in the open sea in tropical latitudes; especially often in the central part of the Pacific Ocean, sometimes in entire archipelagos. The origin of A., according to Charles Darwin's hypothesis, is explained by the slow sinking of the island, initially surrounded by a barrier reef, which is gradually built up by corals.

Wikipedia

Atoll

Atoll- a coral island that looks like a continuous or broken ring surrounding a lagoon. More precisely, the atoll is a rise on the ocean floor, crowned with a coral superstructure, forming a reef with a group of islands separated by straits. These straits connect the ocean to the lagoon. If there are no straits, then the land forms a continuous ring, in which case the water in the lagoon may be less salty than in the ocean. The rise on the ocean floor is usually cone-shaped, formed by an extinct volcano.

Atholl (Scotland)

Blair in Atholl In 1264, Atholl came into the possession of the Strathbogie family, whose representatives supported the British during the wars of Scottish independence, which led to the confiscation of the county of Atholl by King Robert the Bruce in 1320. Then the county changed owners several times, at one time it was part of the possessions Queen Mary of Geldernskaya, and as a result was assigned to the Stuart family. The most significant representatives of the Earls of Atholl were: Walter Stewart, the organizer of the assassination of King James I, John Stewart, 1st Earl of Atholl, leader of the rebellions against James III, and John Stewart, 4th Earl of Atholl, one of the leaders of the Conservative baronial party in the middle of the 16th century. century. Since 1629, the title of Earl (and since 1703 Duke) of Atholl belongs to the noble Murray family.

Atoll (disambiguation)

Atoll

• An atoll is a coral island that looks like a continuous or discontinuous ring surrounding a lagoon.
• The Atholl is a historical region in central Scotland, in the mountains north of Perthshire.

Examples of the use of the word atoll in literature.

Holding the flowers in his outstretched hand so as not to fall into a diabetic coma from the cloying smell, he walks around the dance floor surrounded by atoll round tables with white tablecloths, candles and crystal ashtrays.

The first of these plan points led to the Battle of the Coral Sea, the second to the Battle of atoll Midway and the third - to a protracted and bitter struggle for Guadalcanal, a large island near Tulagi.

The Japanese hoped that before the end of the landing in the area atoll There will be no midway for American ships, because as soon as reports of air strikes on the Aleutian Islands arrive, the US Pacific Fleet will rush north.

American planes with atoll Midway was being bombed by Japanese aircraft carriers, and Nagumo found it necessary to suppress the island's airfields.

In just one battle atoll At Midway they lost four heavy aircraft carriers, approximately 330 aircraft and a heavy cruiser, while American losses amounted to only one aircraft carrier and about 150 aircraft.

Thus, we can rightfully say that the battle at atoll Midway was the turning point that predetermined the final defeat of Japan.

Although the outcome of the battle atoll While Midway seriously hampered the Japanese advance in the southeastern Pacific, they were not stopped completely.

After the battle at atoll Midway in early June, the Allied position was significantly strengthened, since many Australian units had by this time returned home and new divisions were being formed, and the United States stationed two divisions and eight air groups in Australia.

In planning operations on this island, General MacArthur and Admiral Nimitz sought to exploit the victory at atoll Midway, in order to quickly move from defense to counteroffensive in the Pacific.

Most of them could be sent directly to new airfields in Assam and Bengal, since after the naval battles in the Coral Sea and off atoll Midway, the possibility of a Japanese invasion of India by sea became unlikely.

In the battle for atoll Midway and the island of Guadalcanal in the group of Solomon Islands, which are the approaches to Australia, Japan suffered a major defeat. Note.

The possibility of effective action on the part of Japan was excluded due to the loss of four heavy aircraft carriers off atoll Midway, two battleships and many small ships and vessels off the island of Guadalcanal, as well as due to the large losses of aircraft in these important battles.

Honolulu, Oahu and some other islands and atolls, over which coconut palms sway.

During the two months of my stay atoll Oolong I've never seen him sober.

And again I am mentally transported to the small fishing town, the port of Yaizu, Shizuoka Prefecture, where I visited with thousands of Japanese at a meeting with the victims of the explosion of the American hydrogen bomb on atoll Bikini.

ATOLL
ring-shaped coral reef surrounding the water area. Coral reefs are distributed in tropical and subtropical latitudes, most widely in the Pacific and Indian oceans. The word "atoll" comes from the name used by the peoples of Oceania for reefs that form a chain of small islands rising 4-6 m above the surface of the water. Sometimes reefs are flooded, and between their individual parts there are deep straits. Lake-like water areas inside atolls are called lagoons. Usually their depth is 18-30 m, but sometimes reaches 90 m.

Structure. The main material from which coral reefs are built is limestone, formed as a result of the accumulation of skeletons of marine animals and plants containing calcium carbonate, mainly corals and coralline algae. The islets scattered along the reefs usually consist of limestone fragments and chips - products of wave activity. Often small dunes are formed from this material under the influence of wind. The outer coast of most atoll islands is a fairly narrow strip of fringing reefs, often with a smooth border of massive pink calcareous algae and steep, narrow beaches composed of limestone fragments. Behind the coastal bank of the beach, coarse material is replaced by crushed stone, which is then replaced by gravel as it is crushed. In the center of the island there is often a depression filled with saline soil stained with humus. The interior of the islet is usually composed of coarse coral sand or fine gravel, while the central sections of the beach are composed of fine calcareous sand. If the atoll is completely raised above sea level, then the limestones composing it usually weather and form a rough surface - "makatea".
The groundwater level there is very close, and small wells are often dug near the center of the islands. If the island is large or receives a lot of rainfall, then the groundwater is almost fresh, but if it is small or located in an area with little rainfall, then the groundwater is brackish or saline. Vegetation cover is the most notable characteristic of the surface of atolls. It is sparse and most often consists of several species of widespread herbaceous plants and tree species that live in the coastal zone. There is a certain zoning in the distribution of vegetation in the direction from the outer edge of the atoll to the inner. It can be described in general terms for the entire Indo-Pacific region, where the atolls are especially numerous and their flora is of the same type. The outer zone is represented by shrubs, among which Scaevola frutescens predominates. This is followed by forests, mainly of halophytes such as Messerschmidia argenta and Pandanus tectorius. Even further from the coast, there are fewer halophytes, and Cordia, Pisonia grandis, Ochrosia and other species appear. In the center, under more mesophytic conditions, the primary vegetation cover probably consisted of trees such as Guettarda speciosa, Hibiscus tiliacens, ficus, pisonia, pandanus, Barringtonia asiatica, Terminalia and etc. On most islands, these forests were subsequently replaced by coconut palm and breadfruit plantations. The inner zone of the beaches is characterized by a narrow strip of trees such as hernandia, calophyllum, pandanus, thespesia, and cordia. On the sandy spits between the islands, Suriana maritima and scaevola are usually found, and on rocky outcrops, sour pemphis (Pemphis acidula). In some places, in the inner parts of the islands there are waterlogged depressions, and in some of them they are confined to hard rocks. In such conditions, some tree species typical of mangrove swamps occur. Other islets are swampy and treeless, dominated by grasses and sedges. On inhabited islands, soil is removed from these depressions and filled with humus, and then used to grow taro, sugar cane and other plants. Due to the salinity of the soil, few (with the exception of those listed above) cultivated plants can grow on low coral islands. Taro, breadfruit and coconuts are the main food of the population, in addition, coconuts are a source of drinking water.
Other natural resources. The vast majority of atolls are inhabited, and crop production there depends on the potential fertility of nutrient-poor, saline soils. The main crop is coconuts. Along with the above plants, the basis of the population’s diet is fish and shellfish, which abound in lagoons, reefs and adjacent open water areas. Trade items also include guano, pearls, shells for making buttons and dried sea cucumbers. Large atolls that rise above sea level are the most fertile, especially if they are located in very humid areas. They have much lush vegetation, richer flora and a much more diverse range of crops. Apparently, all this is associated with lower soil salinity. Large deposits of phosphorites (probably formed from ancient guano deposits) are often found on raised atolls. These atolls include the islands of Makatea, Nauru, Ocean, and Angaur. Guano deposits on many atoll islands were formed as a result of the activity of seabirds - gannets, frigatebirds, terns and tropical birds, which breed here. Apart from the listed birds and land crabs, including the palm thief, the terrestrial fauna is poor: rats dominate, and fruit bats (fruit bats) are numerous in the western Pacific Ocean. The waters abound with turtles, lobsters, giant bivalves, and many species of fish. The rich reef fauna includes many species of invertebrates.
Famous atolls. The largest groups of atolls in the Indian Ocean are the Maldives and Laccadive Islands; in the Pacific Ocean - the Caroline, Marshall, Gilbert Islands in Micronesia, Tuamotu and others in Polynesia; a large number of atolls are scattered throughout Melanesia. In the Atlantic Ocean there are several atolls in the Lesser Antilles group, in addition, the Bahamas include a number of atypical atolls. The largest atoll in area (with a relatively small lagoon in the center) is Rozhdestva Island in the equatorial part of the Pacific Ocean. The largest lagoon is apparently located on Kwajalein Atoll (Marshall Islands), although lagoons of almost the same size are found on some other atolls.
See also CORAL REEFS.
LITERATURE
Ravikovich A.I. Modern and fossil reefs. M., 1954 Geography of the atolls of the southwestern part of the Pacific Ocean. M., 1973

Collier's Encyclopedia. - Open Society. 2000 .

See what "ATOLL" is in other dictionaries:

Modern encyclopedia

- (Atoll) lagoon reef, a special type of island. A ring-shaped strip of land surrounding an inland shallow lake or lagoon. Usually A. rises several meters above sea level. The depth in the lagoon is small; 60 150 m (30 80 nautical fathoms), whereas ... ... Marine Dictionary

Coral island, reef Dictionary of Russian synonyms. atoll noun, number of synonyms: 9 bikini (5) ... Synonym dictionary

atoll- a, m. atoll m., English. Coral island. Atoll aya, oh. Sometimes the tentacles of an octopus stuck into the hole, which apparently methodically searched the atoll bank. A. Kim Fish Simplicitas. // NM 1997 4 102. Lex. Dal: atol; Toll 1863: atoll; SAN 1891 ... Historical Dictionary of Gallicisms of the Russian Language

Atoll- (from the Malay adol closed), a coral structure with a shallow lagoon in the middle, connected to the ocean through one or more straits. The base for an atoll is usually the top of an underwater volcano. Distributed in tropical latitudes... ... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary

A coral structure in the form of a continuous or broken ring surrounding a shallow lagoon. The base for an atoll is usually the top of an underwater volcano. Distributed in tropical latitudes of the Pacific and Indian Oceans... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

ATOLL, a ring-shaped CORAL REEF surrounding a shallow LAGOON. A reef appears initially as the frame of an island slowly sinking into water, usually of volcanic origin. As the island sinks, the corals continue to grow... Scientific and technical encyclopedic dictionary

ATOLL, atoll, husband. (Malay). Ring-shaped coral island. Ushakov's explanatory dictionary. D.N. Ushakov. 1935 1940 ... Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary

ATOLL, ah, husband. Ring-shaped coral island. | adj. atoll, oh, oh. Ozhegov's explanatory dictionary. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu. Shvedova. 1949 1992 … Ozhegov's Explanatory Dictionary

Husband. coral island with an open ring; an annular, lagoon ridge, an island, gradually carved out by the smallest skull-dwellers, with a lake or lagoon in the middle (the lagoon can be converted into a Russian lagoon). Dahl's Explanatory Dictionary. IN AND. Dal... ... Dahl's Explanatory Dictionary

- [Malay adol enclosed] a coral island in the form of a narrow circular ridge of reef limestone (coral barrier) enclosing an inner lagoon. The outer slope is steep (about 45-60°), sometimes even overhanging. On the inside of the ring it is often... ... Geological encyclopedia

Books

• Starfish Atoll, A. Nasibov, Starfish Atoll… Category:

atoll-coral structure in the form of a continuous or broken ring bordering a water basin - a lagoon. The ring of the atoll is formed by separate islands. Some of them have their own lagoon or are an incomplete ring that opens towards the main lagoon with a wide channel. Found only in the tropical zone. They can have different sizes, usually small, but some reach 50 km across. The underwater base of the atoll is usually the heights of the ocean floor of volcanic origin. The genesis of the atoll, according to Charles Darwin's hypothesis, is associated with the slow sinking of a tropical island surrounded by a ring of barrier coral reef, which is gradually expanded by the construction of colonial corals. According to another concept, the formation of atolls occurs as a result of a rise in the level of the World Ocean as a result of the melting of cover glaciers, and not the subsidence of the bottom, as evidenced, in his opinion, by the same depths from which coral structures begin in different atolls. They are very demanding on the complex of natural conditions: the temperature of air and water, the constancy of salinity and dynamics of ocean waters, their purity, etc. They are found mainly in the waters of the Pacific and Indian oceans.
Plan and vertical section of the atoll (along line AB)

View value Atoll in other dictionaries

Atoll- m. coral island with an open ring; an annular, lagoon ridge, an island, gradually carved out by the smallest skull-dwellers, with a lake or lagoon in the middle (lagoon........
Dahl's Explanatory Dictionary

Atoll- atoll, m. (Malay). Ring-shaped coral island.
Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary

Atoll M.— 1. A coral island shaped like a ring (sometimes broken).
Explanatory Dictionary by Efremova

Atoll- -A; m. [English] atoll]. A ring-shaped coral island with a shallow lagoon inside (mainly in the Indian and Pacific oceans).
Kuznetsov's Explanatory Dictionary

Atoll- , a ring-shaped CORAL REEF surrounding a shallow LAGOON. The reef appears initially as the frame of an island slowly sinking into the water, usually volcanic........
Scientific and technical encyclopedic dictionary

Atoll- a coral structure in the form of a continuous or broken ring surrounding a shallow lagoon. The base for an atoll is usually the top of an underwater volcano.........
Large encyclopedic dictionary

What is an atoll?

ATOLL, a ring-shaped coral reef surrounding the water area. Coral reefs are distributed in tropical and subtropical latitudes, most widely in the Pacific and Indian oceans. The word “atoll” comes from the name used by the peoples of Oceania for reefs that form a chain of small islands rising 4–6 m above the surface of the water. Sometimes reefs are flooded, and between their individual parts there are deep straits.
Lake-like water areas inside atolls are called lagoons.

The largest groups of atolls in the Indian Ocean are the Maldives and Laccadive Islands; in the Pacific Ocean - the Caroline, Marshall, Gilbert Islands in Micronesia, Tuamotu and others in Polynesia; a large number of atolls are scattered throughout Melanesia. In the Atlantic Ocean there are several atolls in the Lesser Antilles group, in addition, the Bahamas include a number of atypical atolls. The largest atoll in area (with a relatively small lagoon in the center) is Rozhdestva Island in the equatorial part of the Pacific Ocean. The largest lagoon is apparently located on Kwajalein Atoll (Marshall Islands), although lagoons of almost the same size are found on some other atolls

The main material from which coral reefs are built is limestone, formed as a result of the accumulation of skeletons of marine animals and plants containing calcium carbonate, mainly corals and coralline algae. The islets scattered along the reefs usually consist of limestone fragments and chips - products of wave activity. Often small dunes are formed from this material under the influence of wind. The outer coast of most atoll islands is a fairly narrow strip of fringing reefs, often with a smooth border of massive pink calcareous algae and steep, narrow beaches composed of limestone fragments.

Vegetation cover is the most notable characteristic of the surface of atolls. It is sparse and most often consists of several species of widespread herbaceous plants and tree species that live in the coastal zone. There is a certain zoning in the distribution of vegetation in the direction from the outer edge of the atoll to the inner. It can be described in general terms for the entire Indo-Pacific region, where the atolls are especially numerous and their flora is of the same type. The outer zone is represented by shrubs, among which Scaevola frutescens predominates. This is followed by forests, mainly of halophytes such as Messerschmidia argenta and Pandanus tectorius. Even further from the coast, there are fewer halophytes, and Cordia, Pisonia grandis, Ochrosia and other species appear. In the center, under more mesophytic conditions, the primary vegetation cover probably consisted of trees such as Guettarda speciosa, Hibiscus tiliacens, ficus, pisonia, pandanus, Barringtonia asiatica, Terminalia and etc. On most islands, these forests were subsequently replaced by coconut palm and breadfruit plantations. The inner zone of the beaches is characterized by a narrow strip of trees such as hernandia, calophyllum, pandanus, thespesia, and cordia. On the sandy spits between the islands, Suriana maritima and scaevola are usually found, and on rocky outcrops, sour pemphis (Pemphis acidula). In some places, in the inner parts of the islands there are waterlogged depressions, and in some of them they are confined to hard rocks. In such conditions, some tree species typical of mangrove swamps occur. Other islets are swampy and treeless, dominated by grasses and sedges.

Charles Darwin's theory of atoll formation

Famous biologist Charles Darwin in 1842 formulated immersion theory. It explains how atolls are formed, namely, the uplift and subsidence of the crust Earth in the oceans. In his opinion, atolls are formed in 3 stages:

1. fringing reef(the volcano dies down, the bottom settles);
2. barrier reef(continued subsidence);
3. atoll.

Also, Darwin believed that underneath all lagoons there is an underlying stone foundation. Subsequently, his theory was confirmed.

Fresh water, flora and fauna of atolls

In fact, there are no streams, rivers or similar sources of fresh water there. Where does it appear on the coral islands? drinking water? Drinkable water in atolls bring rain. What about flora? Seeds of plants with a high level of survival fall into a mixture of wave-ground old corals and sand. Mainly coconuts. Over time, shrubs and palm trees begin to sprout. If speak about fauna, then its presence is not typical for atolls. But, there are a large number of different insects and many types fish.

The famous swimsuit "bikini" named thanks to the sensational, at one time, atomic tests on an atoll called Bikini. Countries like Tuvalu And Kiribati, are entirely located on atolls. And here is an atoll that no one has ever set foot on - Caroline. It is part of the state Kiribati. But soon it will be flooded due to the constant increase water level in the world's oceans.

The most famous atoll in the world is Lighthouse having ring-shaped form. At its center is the famous Great Blue Hole Lagoon. And the largest atoll on Earth is Kiritimati. The second largest atoll is Aldabra where they found their refuge more150 thousand giant turtles. The largest raised atoll is considered Niue, where the country with the same name is located.