Scientists Map Largest Deep-Sea Coral Reef Off Atlantic Coast
- January 20, 2024
- Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
- Category: DPN Topics
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Scientists Map Largest Deep-Sea Coral Reef Off Atlantic Coast
Subject : Geography
Section: Oceanography
Context:
- For the first time, scientists have succeeded in mapping the largest deep-sea coral reef in the world, which runs hundreds of miles off the Atlantic coast of the United States.
More on news:
- According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), this massive 6.4-million-acre reef is bigger than the state of Vermont.
- It is evident that larger deep-sea reefs will be discovered in the future since only about 75% of the world’s ocean floor has been mapped in high-resolution.
- Only 50% of US offshore waters have been mapped.
- Both deep-sea coral reefs and tropical reefs are at risk from oil and gas extraction and climate change.
About the reef:
- The reef extends for about 310 miles (499 kilometers) from Florida to South Carolina and at some points reaches 68 miles (109 kilometers) wide.
- The total area is nearly three times the size of Yellowstone National Park.
- The reef was found at depths ranging from 655 feet to 3,280 feet (200 meters to 1,000 meters), where sunlight doesn’t penetrate and waters are an average of 39 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Scientists nicknamed the largest area of the reef “Million Mounds.”
- It is made up mostly of stony corals.
- Cold-water corals such as these grow in the deep ocean where there is no sunlight and survive by filter-feeding biological particles.
- Cold-water corals are known to be important ecosystem engineers, creating structures that provide shelter, food, and nursery habitat to other invertebrates and fish, these corals remain poorly understood
- For tropical coral reefs, photosynthesis is important for growth.
- However, for corals this far down, must filter food particles out of the water for energy.
- Deep coral reefs provide habitat for sharks, swordfish, sea stars, octopus, shrimp and many other kinds of fish.
- Deep reefs cover more of the ocean floor than tropical reefs.
About coral reefs:
- Coral reefs are some of the most diverse ecosystems in the world.
- Vibrant and healthy reefs form when a coral and an algae — zooxanthellae — start a symbiotic relationship.
- The coral provides protection and compounds zooxanthellae’s need for photosynthesis.
- The algae produces carbohydrates and helps remove the coral’s waste.
- Coral polyps, the animals primarily responsible for building reefs, can take many forms: large reef building colonies, graceful flowing fans, and even small, solitary organisms.
- The Great Barrier Reef in Australia is the world’s largest tropical coral reef system which stretches for about 1,430 miles (2,301 kilometers).
About Coral Bleaching:
- Warmer water temperatures can result in coral bleaching.
- When water is too warm, corals expel the algae (zooxanthellae) living in their tissues causing the coral to turn completely white.
- This is called coral bleaching.
- When a coral bleaches, it is not dead.
Some reefs in news:
- Ren’Ai reef is located in the South China sea.
- Ren’Ai reef is the Chinese name for what the Philippines call Ayungin Shoal and the US calls the Second Thomas Shoal, the site of multiple confrontations between the two countries’ ships in recent months.
- Mischief reef is located in the South China Sea.
- Conway reef is located in the Pacific Ocean.
- Lyra reef is located in the Pacific Ocean.