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Scuba divers with the United Nations Educational , Scientific and Cultural Organization ( UNESCO ) have discovered and mapped out a massive reef of gargantuan rose - shaped corals enshroud off the coast of Tahiti , the prominent island in Gallic Polynesia in the South Pacific . The social system is in " pristine " condition and has remained surprisingly healthy despite recentcoral bleachingevents in the region .
The newly discoveredcoral Rand , which remains unnamed , is around 1.9 sea mile ( 3 kilometers ) long and between 98 and 213 feet ( 30 to 65 meters ) across . It lie between 100 and 180 foot ( 31 to 55 m ) below the surface , which is unusually deep for a tropical coral Rand and may have screen it fromclimate variety effects . The reef is made up predominantly ofPachyseris speciosa , an encrusting plateful - comparable coral that forms rose - shape colonies that can mature to be 6.5 human foot ( 2 K ) astray , according to theWorld Register of Marine Species .
A UNESCO diver surveys the rose-shaped corals on the newly discovered reef in Tahiti.
frogman from the seafloor exploration project Ocean 1 first discovered the reef in November 2021 . " It was magical to find giant , beautiful roseate corals which stretch out for as far as the eye can see , " Alexis Rosenfeld , an submersed lensman and founder of the Ocean project , which is together with draw by UNESCO , say in a assertion . " It was like a study of art . "
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Unusually deep
A majority of coral reefs in tropical region like Tahiti are found in shallow water above 82 feet ( 25 m ) deep . The newly discovered reef is located toward the upper limit of the mesophotic zone , which stretches from 100 foot ( 30.5 meter ) below the open to over 490 foot ( 149 m ) below the surface , according to theNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ( NOAA ) .
coral in the mesophotic zone obtain lesslightthan their counterparts in shallow - water coral reefs . To make up for this lack of light , corals likeP. speciosaare wide and compressed to maximize their unclouded - pull together surface sphere .
The location of the new Witwatersrand at the upper limit of the mesophotic zone has historically been very hard for scientist to study because it is too mysterious for traditional scuba diving event and too shallow to use remotely function vehicle ( ROVs ) , according to NOAA . However , divers have developed new engineering science , such as the use of breeze containinghelium , which contradict hallucinations caused byoxygenandnitrogenat depth and helps prevent the bends , or decompressing sickness that make it easier to research these deep regions for longer periods . Combined with full subaquatic camera equipment , this new engineering has made the mesophotic zone fully explorable for the first time , harmonise to the instruction
Advancements in diving and camera technology has made mesophotic reefs more accessible to researchers.
The squad from 1 Ocean take vantage of these technical advancements and carried out nose dive on the Witwatersrand totaling around 200 hr , which allow them to represent it in great detail and even witness the spawning of corals , concord to the statement .
Protected from harm
Coral reefs are one of the most at risk ecosystems onEarth . In full , 237 coral species are presently list as threatened by extinction on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature ( IUCN ) Red List , harmonize toOur World in Data .
Corals face threats from plastic andchemical befoulment , overfishing , sediment run - off , ecotourism and volatile fishing with dynamite . However , the main progeny facing coral reefs is the step-up in atmosphericgreenhouse gases , which raises sea - surface temperatures and acidifies the sea . This combo can make coral bleaching , where corals kick out the photosyntheticalgaethat experience inside their tissue paper and provide them with push . This bleaching unconscious process not only drain coral of their coloration , it is often fatal to coral colonies .
Between 2014 and 2017 , more than 75 % of global coral reef experience some degree of coral bleaching due to an El Niñoevent , which is a natural phenomenon that increases sea - surface temperatures in the Pacific that was exacerbated by clime change , according toNOAA . However , mesophotic Witwatersrand may have escaped relatively unscathed due to their cooler temperature .
The newly discovered reef has remained unaffected by climate change related issues like coral bleaching.
" We think that rich reefs may be better protect fromglobal warming , " Laetitia Hedouin , a coral expert at the French National Center for Scientific Research , who was involved with the project , said in the assertion . For lesson , the new reef was whole by a major bleaching event that light upon French Polynesia in 2019 .
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So mesophotic reefs could become vital backups to annihilate shallow - water Rand and provide a new home for displaced mintage such as fish and crustacean , according to NOAA . " The discovery of this reef in such a pristine condition is good news and can inspire future conservation , " Hedouin said in the statement .
Originally publish on Live Science .
