Scientists have mapped the largest deep-ocean coral reef, stretching hundreds of miles off the US Atlantic coast.
Although researchers had known since the 1960s that some corals were present off the Atlantic, the size of the reef remained a mystery until new underwater mapping technology made it possible to construct 3D images of the ocean floor. .
The largest deep coral reef ever known “sits right before our eyes, waiting to be discovered,” said Derek Sowers, an oceanographer at the nonprofit Ocean Exploration Trust.
Sowers and other scientists, including several from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, recently published maps of the reef in the journal Geomatics.
The reef extends approximately 310 miles (499 kilometers) from Florida to South Carolina and in some places is 68 miles (109 kilometers) wide. The total area is nearly three times the size of Yellowstone National Park.
“It’s eye-opening, it’s breathtaking,” said Stuart Sandin, a marine biologist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, who was not involved in the study.
The reef has been found at depths ranging from 655 feet to 3,280 feet (200 meters to 1,000 meters), where sunlight does not penetrate. Unlike tropical coral reefs, where photosynthesis is important for growth, corals this far away must filter food particles out of the water for energy.
Deep coral reefs provide habitat for sharks, swordfish, starfish, octopus, shrimp and many other fish species, scientists said.
Tropical reefs are better known to scientists (and divers) because they are more accessible. The largest tropical coral reef system in the world, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, stretches approximately 1,430 miles (2,301 kilometers).
Sowers said it was possible that larger, deep reefs could be discovered in the future since only about 75 percent of the planet’s seafloor has been mapped in high resolution. Only 50% of the waters off the coast of the United States have been mapped. Maps of the seabed are created using high-resolution sonars on board ships.
Deep reefs cover more of the ocean floor than tropical reefs. Both habitat types are susceptible to similar risks, including climate change and disruption from oil and gas drilling, said Erik Cordes, a marine biologist at Temple University and co-author of the new study.
Quote: Largest deep-sea coral reef yet mapped by scientists off US Atlantic coast (January 18, 2024) retrieved January 18, 2024 from
This document is subject to copyright. Apart from fair use for private study or research purposes, no part may be reproduced without written permission. The content is provided for information only.