Area behind, or to the landward of, a reef. This zone usually includes a lagoon between the reef and the land.
Geography
A sea area landward of a reef, usually including a lagoon. Dahlgren and Marr (2004) Bull. Marine Sci. 75, 2 argue that backreefs are of critical ecological value to a coral reef ecosystem. See K. Sullivan-Sealey et al. (2002).