Particle.news
Download on the App Store
5 ARTICLES
·
last yr.

Largest Deep-Sea Coral Reef Mapped Off U.S. Atlantic Coast

Stretching hundreds of miles, the reef provides habitat for diverse marine life and suggests potential for more undiscovered reefs.

Dense thickets of the reef-building coral Desmophyllum pertusum make up most of the deep-sea coral reef habitat found on the Blake Plateau in the Atlantic Ocean. The white coloring is healthy–deep-sea corals don’t rely on symbiotic algae, so they can’t bleach. Images of these corals were taken during a 2019 expedition dive off the coast of Florida.
Image
Image

Overview

  • Scientists have mapped the largest deep-sea coral reef, stretching hundreds of miles off the U.S. Atlantic coast.
  • The reef extends for about 310 miles from Florida to South Carolina and at some points reaches 68 miles wide.
  • The reef was found at depths ranging from 655 feet to 3,280 feet, where sunlight doesn't penetrate.
  • Deep coral reefs provide habitat for sharks, swordfish, sea stars, octopus, shrimp and many other kinds of fish.
  • Only about 75% of the world's ocean floor has been mapped in high-resolution, suggesting larger deep-sea reefs may be discovered in the future.