Alvin collects a sample of Lophelia pertusa from an extensive mound of both dead and live coral.
When you think of coral reefs, the coast for South Carolina is probably no where near your latitude of thought. Well, South Carolina is in the news with a newly discovered 85 mile long (estimated) coral reef hiding 160 miles off the Charleston, South Carolina.
The coral reef is thousands of years old and it’s been in hiding from us until now. The chief scientist who helped make the discovery called it unbelievable.
How the hidden reef came to light
There is still much to learn about the deep ocean from Virginia to Georgia so the National Geographic Little is known about the natural resources of the deep ocean off the United so scientist formed “Deep Search 2018”. The group is compromised of scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, and the US Geological Survey. The expedition is nearing the end of its 15-day voyage aboard the research vessel Atlantis.
Keep reading: CNN
The R/V Atlantis docked at its home port at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Woods Hole, Massachusetts.
A pair of dives in a well know submersible called Alvin confirmed the existence of the coral reef this past Thursday. Based on observations, researchers estimate the reef is at least 85 miles long.
“This is a huge feature,” expedition chief scientist Dr. Erik Cordes told HuffPost. “It’s incredible that it stayed hidden off the US East Coast for so long.”
Cordes said the ecosystem is unlike anything he has seen, with “mountains” of corals.
The discovery of the coral reef builds upon research by scientists working aboard the Okeanos Explorer, which mapped hundreds of deep-sea mounds. The mounds, it turns out, are formed by these corals.
Dr. Sandra Brooke, a coral ecologist among the research team members who dived near the site, described seeing thriving white Lophelia coral covering the sea floor in every direction and told HuffPost it was a surprise to find so much live deep-sea coral far from the coast. Coral reefs form more easily near the surface of the water, where the sun can feed the algae.
So it exists. Now what?
A coral reef is a large community of live organisms that live in one location. Many fish and sea creatures choose to spawn here, because the protected environment of the reef means their eggs will be safe from predators.
The discovery of this Atlantic reef comes as the Trump administration is proposing to roll back a ban on offshore drilling, which would reinstate drilling leases in Pacific and Atlantic waters.
More than 140 municipalities have publicly opposed offshore drilling activities in the Atlantic, according to the environmental group Oceana. Environmental groups call the plan dirty and dangerous.
A Bureau of Ocean Energy Management spokeswoman said it funds this type of research to identify resources that must be protected should there be future energy activity off the coast, and new information from this reef study “could be useful in pre-leasing or post-leasing [oil and gas]decisions, such as those affecting sensitive habitats that are the focus of this study.”
Cordes also told HuffPost this coral habitat must be protected from oil and gas development, and believes it is critical for the productivity of regional fisheries.
Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke repeatedly said in January that any offshore drilling lease will come with the condition of safety.
The reef itself still holds many mysteries, and researchers write that the discovery will keep members of the Deep Search team “busy for months, and even years, to come.”
Source: CNN
