Scientists have discovered the world’s largest deep-sea coral reef off the east coast of the United States. The 6.4-acre area stretches from Miami, Florida to Charleston, South Carolina. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) This is an area larger than the state of Vermont. The survey results are The study was published on January 12 in the journal geography.
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of break plateau It is located in the western Atlantic Ocean off the coasts of Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. Previous research on the area has shown that it can be a dangerous place. dead zone– Oceanic areas where there is little dissolved oxygen in the water and most marine life generally dies. During a multi-year mapping project of this supposed dead zone, scientists instead discovered a very vibrant ecosystem filled with reef-building corals.
“For years, we thought the Blake Plateau was largely sparsely populated and soft-sediment,” said study co-author Casey Cantwell, director of NOAA’s Ocean Exploration Operations. stated in a statement. “Previous studies have revealed some corals in the region, particularly those near the coast and in shallow water, but until we have a complete map of the region, we don’t know how widespread this habitat is. , I also didn’t know how many coral mounds were connected. ”
The first hints of a huge coral reef on the Blake Plateau have been discovered. 2019, But scientists waited until a mapping project by NOAA, the University of New Hampshire, the Ocean Energy Management Bureau, Temple University and the U.S. Geological Survey could confirm it before making an official announcement. They combined data from more than 30 multibeam sonar mapping surveys and 23 dive surveys to create a nearly complete map. They identified 83,908 individual coral mound top features, with a central dense coral mound 258 miles long and 42 miles wide. The nearly continuous coral mound is 310 miles long and nearly 110 miles wide, according to the study.
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Reef boundaries are located 35 to 75 miles from the coastline. A spot called Million Mounds occupies most of the reef. It is composed of stony corals that are typically found at depths of 656 feet to 3,280 feet below the chilly surface, where the average temperature is 39 degrees Fahrenheit. According to NOAA, these cold water coral They grow deep in the ocean where there is no sunlight and sustain life by filtering and eating plankton and other organic matter. They are known to be “vital ecosystem engineers,” creating shelter, food, and nurseries for fish and other invertebrates, but they are still poorly understood.about 75% of the world’s oceans have not yet been mapped in detailincludes approximately 50 percent of the U.S. waters.
“This study provides a standardized approach to interpreting mapping data over large ocean areas to gain insights about seafloor habitats and classifying them to support ecosystem-based management and conservation efforts. “We provide a methodology that aims to advance this process,” said study co-author and mapping operations manager Derek Sowers. NOAA Ocean Exploration Trust; stated in a statement.
The research team hopes that the data collected about Blake Plateau and its resources will help in the sustainable use and management of this and other coral reefs.