The East Coast of the United States is renowned for its stunning beaches, and now, scientists have made a remarkable discovery beneath the ocean’s surface. Through the use of 3D imagery, researchers have unveiled the largest coral reef located deep in the ocean, spanning over 300 miles from Florida to South Carolina. The newly mapped reef, published in the journal “Geomatics” by nonprofit Ocean Exploration Trust oceanographer Derek Sowers and scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), covers an area nearly three times the size of Yellowstone National Park.
Following a devastating year for coral reefs, marked by abnormally high ocean temperatures that proved catastrophic for many underwater ecosystems, the discovery of this expansive deep-sea coral reef off the U.S. coast offers a glimmer of hope. While it has been known since the 1960s that there were substantial mounds of cold-water coral off the East Coast, a recent decades-long mapping and exploration effort has revealed one of the largest deep-sea coral reef habitats found to date anywhere in the world.
Interestingly, prior to this comprehensive mapping effort, researchers had believed that their study area, the Blake Plateau, was sparsely inhabited. The Blake Plateau, a vast expanse of the continental shelf about 100 miles offshore, extends from the Carolinas to South Florida.
Addressing the significance of the findings, Kasey Cantwell, operations chief for NOAA Ocean Exploration, emphasized, “Past studies have highlighted some coral in the region, particularly closer to the coast and in shallower waters, but until we had a complete map of the region, we didn’t know how extensive this habitat was, nor how many of these coral mounds were connected.” This recent completion of a years-long mapping project has unveiled the vast expanse of the coral reef habitat in the region, emphasizing the vital importance of sustained exploration and conservation efforts for these marine ecosystems.
The discovery of this extensive deep-sea coral reef off the southeastern coast of the U.S. holds promising implications for the preservation and rehabilitation of critical underwater habitats, marking a significant milestone in marine exploration and conservation.
