A cay ( / ˈ k iː , ˈ k eɪ / KEE , KAY ), also spelled caye or key , is a small, low- elevation , sandy island on the surface of a coral reef . Cays occur in tropical environments throughout the Pacific , Atlantic , and Indian oceans, including in the Caribbean and on the Great Barrier Reef and Belize Barrier Reef .
12-479: Stapleton may refer to: Places [ edit ] Australia [ edit ] Stapleton Island , Queensland Stapleton, Northern Territory United Kingdom [ edit ] Stapleton, Bristol Stapleton, Cumbria Stapleton, Herefordshire Stapleton, Leicestershire Stapleton-on-Tees , North Yorkshire Stapleton, Selby , North Yorkshire Stapleton, Shropshire Stapleton, Somerset ,
24-550: A location United States [ edit ] Stapleton, Alabama Stapleton, Georgia Stapleton, Nebraska Stapleton, Staten Island , a neighborhood in New York City Stapleton (Staten Island Railway station) Central Park, Denver , a neighborhood in Denver, Colorado; formerly known as Stapleton Stapleton International Airport , the former airport serving Denver, Colorado, now being redeveloped as
36-564: A stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This Queensland protected areas related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Cay The Taíno word for "island", cairi , became cayo in Spanish and "cay" / ˈ k iː / in English (spelled "key" in American English). A cay forms when ocean currents transport loose sediment across the surface of
48-489: A central ridge 5 metres (16 feet) above sea level . The outer edge has a beach community of herbs and the sand ridge is dominated by low shrubs and Lepturus grass. The island is a designated Preservation Area within the Howick Group National Park with no general public access. The island has been identified by BirdLife International as an Important Bird Area (IBA) because it has supported over 1% of
60-404: A master-planned New Urbanist community Other uses [ edit ] Stapleton (surname) , including a list of people and characters with the name Stapleton (band) , a rock band from Glasgow Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Stapleton . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change
72-423: A reef to where the current slows or converges with another current, releasing its sediment load. Gradually, layers of deposited sediment build up on the reef surface – a depositional node . Such nodes occur in windward or leeward areas of reefs, where flat surfaces sometimes rise around an emergent outcrop of old reef or beach rock. The island resulting from sediment accumulation is made up almost entirely of
84-501: Is a small (4 ha) island on the northern Great Barrier Reef of Far North Queensland , Australia . It lies about 40 km off Cape Melville on the east coast of the Cape York Peninsula . It is important as a nesting site for boobies and terns . The island is an elongated cay , about 500 metres (1,600 feet) long with a maximum width of 100 metres (330 feet). It is constituted of coral sand and reef rubble rising to
96-471: Is much debate and concern over the future stability of cays in the face of growing human populations and pressures on reef ecosystems, and predicted climate changes and sea level rise . There is also debate around whether these islands are relict features that effectively stopped expanding two thousand years ago during the late Holocene or, as recent research suggests, they are still growing, with significant new accumulation of reef sediments. Understanding
108-689: The green algae Halimeda ) and animals (e.g., coral , molluscs , foraminifera ). Small amounts of silicate sediment are also contributed by sponges and other creatures. Over time, soil and vegetation may develop on a cay surface, assisted by the deposition of sea bird guano . A range of physical, biological and chemical influences determines the ongoing development or erosion of cay environments. These influences include: Significant changes in cays and their surrounding ecosystems can result from natural phenomena such as severe El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycles. Also, tropical cyclones can either help build up or tear down these islands. There
120-424: The link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Stapleton&oldid=1161612802 " Categories : Disambiguation pages Place name disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Stapleton Island Stapleton Island
132-474: The skeletal remains of plants and animals – biogenic sediment – from the surrounding reef ecosystems. If the accumulated sediments are predominantly sand , then the island is called a cay ; if they are predominantly gravel , the island is called a motu . Cay sediments are largely composed of calcium carbonate (CaCO 3 ), primarily of aragonite , calcite , and high-magnesium calcite. They are produced by myriad plants (e.g., coralline algae , species of
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#1732844230873144-399: The world populations of brown boobies (with up to 1000 nests) and lesser crested terns (up to 9800 breeding pairs). There have also been counts of up to 10,000 breeding pairs of both bridled and sooty terns , as well as breeding records of black-naped , crested and little terns , common noddies and Australian pelicans . This Far North Queensland geography article is
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