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January 26, 2024 at 3:40 pm Update: 2 days ago
The largest coral reef ever found was found at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. New technology has been used to map a previously unknown section of the seabed.
The reef is approximately 26,000 square kilometers in size. This makes it the largest deep-sea coral reef ever measured, research shows. It has been known that there was a reef there since 1960, but its size remained a mystery for a long time.
Three quarters of the seabed is still unexplored. In ten years, American researchers systematically mapped the so-called Blake Plateau. The area is located in the west of the Atlantic Ocean near the American state of Florida. The seabed lies at a depth of 500 to 1,000 meters.
Mapping was a huge task. Researchers dived to the bottom with submarines 23 times. There they examined the area with sonar systems. It is estimated that about 84,000 coral mounds have been identified.
Cold-water corals do not rely on cooperation with colorful algae to obtain nutrients. Instead, the coral filters organic matter from the water. That’s why it is colored white.
Deep sea bottom animals use the corals as a habitat. Deep-sea reefs therefore offer large habitats for all types of animals on the seabed.
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Submarine films large “new” coral reef in the Pacific Ocean
Image: AP
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Scientific Oceans
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